mm; \ 



. v 




V 



Holy Land 



WITH 



Glimpses of Europe and Egypt. 



A YEAR'S TOUR. 




AUTHOR OF " POFMS TOR THE HEART AND HOME. 



NEW HAVEN, (^.).\ : N. - 
CHARLES C. CHATFIELD & CO. 

460 CHAPEL STREET. 
1872. 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1871, 
By S. D. PHELPS, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



THE COLLEGE COURANT PRINT. 



PREFACE. 



" What travelers the Americans are ! I find them everywhere," 
said a solid, intelligent, good-natured English lady as she reached, 
almost out of breath, the top of the last flight of stairs in the lofty 
tower of the great Cathedral of Notre Dame in Antwerp, and 
looked a few feet above where I had just climbed to the highest 
a ;ssible point. She might have added, if she had looked over 
] sts of our publishers, " and how many books of travels they 
be f* Every author, I suppose, perceives — though others may 
, . ; —reasons sufficient to justify his publication. He differs, per- 

po, in some important respects, from others who have gone over 
the same ground, or he has so wrought up, arranged, and con- 
densed his materials as to present in a life-like manner just what 
is most desirable and interesting to readers generally. 

I have given a sketch of my whole tour, in a single volume, and 
I do not know of another writer who has brought the results of a 
journey of like extent into so small a space. In this purposed 
and labored brevity, the first part of the book is necessarily a rapid 
narrative of sights and scenes by the way ; but the chapters on 
Palestine — a land of the deepest interest to all who prize the 
sacred Scriptures — I have extended and amplified as the subject 
seemed to demand. I have endeavored to present accurate pictures 
of the places and scenery where I traveled, so that the reader, by 
using as it were my eyes, may have a kind of stereoscopic view of 



PlCKiTACE DEDICATION. 



the same localities. To the general reader, to the student 01 4he 
Bible, to the tourist through the same countries — and who does 
not desire or intend sometime to make the journey ? — I trust this 
volume will be found both useful and entertaining. In preparing 
the materials of my daily journal for the press, I have consulted 
several works on the Holy Land, and have derived especial aid 
from Dr. Thomson's " Land and the Book," Stanley's " Sinai and 
Palestine," and the " Hand-book of Syria and Palestine," compiled 
by Rev. J. L. Porter. 



While I was in Florence, at the observatory of Galileo where 
by his improved telescope he made wondrous discoveries in the 
heavens, the saintly spirit of my precious mother, in her seventy- 
fifth year, passed to her glorious home beyond the stars. And 
while ascending the Nile, near the place where the infant Moses 
was found in the flags of the river, my youngest child, a bright 
and darling boy in his fourth year, was taken up to the bosom of 
the Good Shepherd. To their blessed memories, and to my be- 
loved Christian Flock, by whose approval and kind liberality the 
journey was undertaken, I dedicate this volume. 

New Haven, Conn. 



PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. 



The success which this work has attained in the few years since it 
was first published, calls for the author's grateful acknowledgments. 
Four editions were issued in New York, and then the plates passed 
into the hands of a firm in Chicago, who, it is said, sent out three 
editions under the title of " Bible Lands," etc. Being out of print, and 
still called for, the plates were fortunately recovered from Chicago, 
where, had they remained, they would undoubtedly have been de- 
stroyed in the great fire. The volume now appears with its original 
title, but is improved by the addition of several fine illustrations. 

The author might refer to many gratifying notices of the press, 
and communications to him, showing the deep interest with which 
the book has been received and read. Strangers have written him, 
clergymen, Sunday-school teachers, and many others, meeting him on 
the street or elsewhere, have expressed their great satisfaction in its 
perusal. Lately, an eminent professional man in New York, an entire 
stranger to the author, writing to a friend in this city to send him a 
copy of the travels, which he chanced to see when among the Catskills 
but could not find in the bookstores after he returned, adds : " I have 
been over the whole ground, and I like it best of any book / ever 
read — so simple, so correct, and lots of information one don't find in 
the ordinary books of travelers." 

That the work, treating of lands and events of a never-failing 
interest, may still be useful and instructing, and that the enterprising 
publishers of the present edition may be suitably rewarded, is the 
sincere desire of the author. 



New Haven, November, 187 1. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Mosque of Omar — Temple Area, - Frontispiece. 

PAGE 

The Date-Palm of Egypt and Palestine, - n 

Bunyan's Cottage at Elstow, - 30 

Hospice of St. Bernard, 70 

Florence from the Southeast, - - 117 

The Nile at Old Cairo, - - - 173 

Ghawazee or Dancing Girls, - - - 182 

Ruins of Karnak at Thebes, - - - 188 

The Sphinx and Pyramids, - 202 

House with a Chamber on the Roof or Wall, 210 

House-Top or Roof and Battlements, - 210 

Women Weeping at a Grave, - - - 218 

Pool of Hezekiah, Olivet, etc., - 224 

Wailing Place of the Jews, - - 238 

Absalom's Tomb, (Restored), - 246 

Bethany, - - - - - - 250 

Bethlehem, - - - - - - 272 

The Dead Sea from the Northwest, - 280 
The Jordan, at the Supposed Place of 

Christ's Baptism, _____ 286 

Jerusalem from the Northeast, - - 318 

Mount Tabor from the Southwest, - - 366 

Capernaum and Sea of Galilee, - - 393 

Skin Bottles and Water Jars, - 400 

Vale of Nazareth, 408 

The Island of Patmos, - - 427 



CONTENTS. 



I. -THE PASSAGE— IRELAND— SCOTLAND. 

Embarking— Sea-life — Icebergs— "Whales— Saint Johns— Services — Land ho I— 
Queenstown — Cork— Blarney Castle — Sabbath in Killarney — The Lakes — Gap 
of Dunloe— Fourth of July Celebration — Limerick— Dublin — Presbyterian 
Assembly — Revival— Belfast — Dr. Cooke — Giant's Causeway — Round Towers 
— Trip to Scotland— The Highlands— Lochs Lomond and Katrine — Stirling 
Castle— Edinburgh— Abbotsford 13 

II— ENGLAND— WALES— NOTED PLACES. 

Rural Scenery— Excursion to Caernarvon— Its Castle — Liverpool — Rev. Stowell 
Brown — Dr. Rattles — Bedford — Bunyan's Cottage — Cardington — Kettering — 
Northampton — Olney — Stratford-on-Avon — Leamington — Oxford— South- 
ampton — Stonehenge — Isle of Wight 26 



III.— LONDON— BUNHILL FIELDS— PREACHERS. 

Greatness of London — Saint Paul's — "Westminster Abbey — British Museum- 
Hampton Court — Windsor Castle— Houses of Parliament — Bunyan's Tomb— 
Smithfield— Spurgeon's Preaching— Dr. Cumming— Hall, Noel, Landels, and 
Brock— Prayer Meetings 37 

IV.— FRANCE— BELGIUM— HOLLAND— THE RHINE 

Across the Channel — Rouen — Paris —Grand Military Pageant — American 
Chapel — Churches and Religion — The People— Parisian Attractions — Versail- 
les — Belgian Scenery — Brussels — King Leopold — Waterloo — Antwerp — 
Churches— Rubens— Dutch-Land, Cities and Scenery — Aix-la-Chapelle — Tomb 
of Charlemagne— Relics — Cologne — On the Rhine— Drachenfels — Mayence — 
Frankfort — Heidelberg— Baden-Baden— Strasbourg— A Famous Clock 46 

V.— SWITZERLAND— A TOUR IN THE ALPS. 

Mountain Scenery — Rail-Carriages — Geneva— Dr. Malan — The Arve — Mont 
Blanc — Chamouny — Flegere— Mer de Glace— Glaciers — Tete Noir — Martigny — 
Grand Saint Bernard— Dogs — The Morgue— Moonlight Drive — Baths of Leuk 
— Gemmi Pass— Thun — Interlachen— Swiss Lakes 61 

VI.— TEE SWISS— ALPINE JOURNEYS— GERMANY. 

Ch ar acter istics— C ottages— Productions— S abb ath Observance — Dust- S tr earn— 
Wengern Aip— Jungfrau — Avalanches — Grindelwald — Great Scheideck — 
Storm — Reichenbach — Happy Valley — Handek— Grimsel — Rhone Glacier— 
Furca— Devil's Bridge— Home of Tell — Ascent of the Rigi— Storm — Predica- 
ment — Mount Pilatus — Lucerne — Zurich — Constance — John Huss — Rhine 
Falls— Lake Constance— Augsburg 7o 



viii 



CONTENTS. 



VII.— BAVARIA— AUSTRIA— ITALY— VENICE. 

Munich — Art Galleries — Churches— Cemetery — Russian Bath— German People— 
The Tyrol — Salzburg — Mozart— Kufstein— Deep Well — A Criminal— Inns- 
bruck — Wounded Soldiers — Brenner Pass— In Italy — Verona — Attractions of 
Venice — Gondolas — Murano and Lido — Padua— Solferino 90 

VIII.— MILAN— MANTUA— BOLOGNA— FLORENCE— PISA. 

Milan Cathedral — Last Supper — Incident— Birth-place of Virgil— Bologna — 
Apennines — Rural Aspects — People Excited— Productions — Florence — Pitti 
Palace— Uffizi Gallery— Churches — Mr. Powers— Protestant Services— A Sin- 
gular Prisoner — Fiesole — Galileo's Observatory— Baptism and Funeral— Bene- 
fits of Travel— Contrasts — Pisa— Baptistery — Campo Santo — Cathedral — Lean- 
ing Tower — Leghorn to Rome 102 

IX — ROME— ITS CHURCHES— THE VATICAN— TIVOLI. 

The Eternal City— Churches — Raphael's House — Saint Peter's— Interior, Roof, 
and Ball — Saint Paul's— Saint John Lateran— Holy Staircase— Paul's Hired 
House— Mamertine Prison— Tasso's Tomb— Cemetery of the Capuchins — The 
Vatican — Galleries— Paintings — Quirinal Palace— Spada — Festival in Sistine 
Chapel — The Pope — American College — Excursion to Tivoli — Hadrian's 
Villa 119 

X.-OLD ROME-COLISEUM-CATACOMBS-CHRISTMAS. 

Ruins— Fountains— Capitol— Forum— Arch of Titus— Coliseum— Appian Way- 
Catacombs-Christmas Holidays— Pope and Cardinals at Saint Peter's— Bam- 
bino— Pope at the Church of the Jesuits— Priests and People— Romanism 
at Home— Villas and Studios— Pincian Hill— Italian Sunset 131 

XI.-NAPLES-POMPEII-VESUVIUS-BALE-MALTA. 

New Year— Rome to Naples— Herculaneum— Pompeii— House of Diomede— Bor- 
bonico Museum— Ascent of Vesuvius-Lava— Tomb of Virgil— Puteoli— Lake 
Avernus— Ruins of Baiae— Malta 145 

XII.— EGYPT— ALEXANDRIA— CAIRO. 

" Land of Egypt"— Oriental Sights— Donkey Riding— Cleopatra's Needle— Pom- 
pey's Pillar — Catacombs — Pasha's Palace-Bazaars— Alexandria to Cairo- 
Sight of the Pyramids— Phases of Eastern Life— Wedding— Mosques— Queer 
Test — Dancing Dervishes— Shoobra Gardens— Petrified Forest — Heliopolis— 
Aged Sycamore— Fine Obelisk 154 

XIII.-LAND OF MOSES-LIFE ON THE NILE. 

Sacred Associations— Missionaries— Salutation— Dragoman Engaged— On the 
Nile- Our Party — Climate — River— Soil— Productions— Irrigation— Scenery- 
Villages— Sand Storms— Girls— Fellaheen— Our Crew— Devotions— Fare— Festi- 
val— Ghawazee— Funeral— Quarrel 1 68 

XIV.-THEBES-ITS TEMPLES AND TOMBS-DOWN THE RIVER. 

Grandeur of Thebes— Luxor— Mustapha Aga— Kara ak— Temples— Colossal Stat- 
ues—Tombs of the Kings— Mummy Pits— Down the Nile— Sights— Adventure* 
—Turkish Dignitary— Female Wrath 185 

XV.— MEMPHIS-THE PYRAMIDS— THE RED SEA. 

Pyramids of Sakkara— Image of Remeses— Tomb of Apis— Pyramids of Ghizeh— 
A Dream — Insolent Arabs — Ascent of the Great Pyramid — Interior — The 
Sphinx— Leaving the Nile— Excursion— The Desert— Mirage— Red Sea— Pas- 
sage of the Israelites— Wells of Moses 198 



CONTENTS. 



is 



XVI— PALESTINE-JOPPA TO JERUSALEM. 

Entering the Holy Land— Joppa-House of Simon— Oranges— Gate of the City- 
Peter's Vision- Dorcas— Hedges of Cactus— Plain of Sharon— Philistia— Lydda 
— Ramleh— Women Weeping at a Grave— Latron— Valley of Ajalon— Kirjath- 
jearim— First Sight of Olivet and Jerusalem 207 

XVII.-THE HOLY CITY— OLIVET— CALVARY. 

Jaffa Gate— Mount Zion— Hotel— Pool of Hezekiah— House-top View— Walk to 
Olivet— The Kedron— View of Jerusalem— Panorama— Paths of Jesus— House 
of Pilate— Temple Area— Via Dolorosa— Calvary— Church of the Holy Sepul- 
chre—Tomb of Jesus 222 

XVIII.-A WALK ABOUT ZION— BETHANY. 

A Synagogue— W ailing-Place 5 — Relics of a Great Arch— Jews' Quarter— Lepers- 
Armenian Convent— Tomb of David— American Cemetery— Lower Pool of Gi- 
hon— Valley of Hinnom— En-Rogel— Valley of Jehoshaphat— Pool of Siloam— 
Tombs— Golden Gate— English Church— Walk to Bethany— Tomb of Lazarus 
—Passage over Olivet— Preaching on Mount Zion 235 

XIX.-POOLS OF SOLOMON-HILL COUNTRY-HEBRON. 

Hill of Evil Council— Cultivated Fields— Well of the Wise Men— Plain of Re- 
phaim — Convent of Elijah— Sight of Bethlehem— Tomb of Rachel— Pools of 
Solomon— Fountain Sealed— Contrast— " Hill Country of Judea"— Tekoa— 
Haunts of David— Beth-zur— Valley of Eschol— Hebron— Camping-Ground— 
Cave of Machpelah— Tent-Life 253 

XX.— HOME OF THE PATRIARCHS-BETHLEHEM-MAR SABA. 

Breakfast— Hebron— Abraham's Oak— Grape Slips— Old Aqueduct— Vale of Etam 
—Bethlehem— Church of the Nativity— Stable and Manger— Convent of Santa 
Saba 26b 

XXI.-THE DEAD SEA AND THE JORDAN. 

Our Bedawin Guard — Approach to the Dead Sea — En gedi— Robbers— Lake 
Scenery-^Sea of Death— Cities of the Plain— A Bath— River Jordan— Nebo— 
Death of Moses— Prophets ©f the Jordan— Baptism of Christ— Bathing of the 
Pilgrims 277 

XXII .-JERICHO TO JERUSALEM. 

Gilgal— Brook Cherith— Roman Jericho— City of Palm Trees— Quarantania— Ap- 
ples of Sodom— Fountain of Elisha— Scripture Sites— Adummim— Foot-steps of 
Jesus— Place of Thieves— Mustapha— Bethany 294 

XXIII— CITY OF THE GREAT KING-GETHSEMANE. 

Jerusalem— Upper Pool of Gihon— Tombs of the Kings— Quarry under the City- 
Tomb of the Virgin— Gethsemane — Aged Olive-Trees— Tearful Emotions— 
Prayer-Meeting in the Garden— Impressions— Pool of Bethesda 304 

XXIV.— BENJAMIN— GIBEON—GIBEAH— BETHEL. 

Mount Scopus— Last View of the Holy City— Heights of Benjamin— Nob— Miz- 
peh— Gibeon— Sun Standing Still— Gibeah— Rizpah's Grief— Ramah— Beeroth 
—Bible Topography — Bethel and its Associations— Abraham and Lot— Battle 
Of Ai— Rimmon— Ophra 314 



X 



CONTENTS. 



XXV.-EPHRAIM-SHILOH-PLAIN OF MOREH-JACOB'S WELL. 

Fertility Amidst Rocky Desolation— Yebrud— Fountain of Robbers— Picturesque 
Scenes— Shiloh— Lebonah— Arab Horses— Plain of Mukhna— Armed Natives- 
Salutations— Jacob's Well 329 

XXVI.-NABLUS-SHECHEM-MOUNT GERIZIM. 

Tomb of Joseph— Vale of Nablus— Reading the Law— Shechem— Olive-Trees— As- 
cent of Mount Gerizim— Samaritan Temple — A Shrine— View from the Summit 
—Samaritan Synagogue— An Old Copy of the Pentateuch— Lepers— Scenes by 
the Way— Shepherds— Bedawin 341 

XXVII.-SAMARIA-DOTHAN-PASSES OF MANASSEH. 

The " Hill Samaria"— Church of Saint John— Grand Colonnade— Inhabitants- 
Bible Events— Jeba— Plain of Sanur— Tell Dothain— Pits or Dry Cisterns— Jo- 
seph Sold— A Celestial Army— Kubatieh—Jenin 351 

XXVIII — PLAIN OF ESDRAELON— JEZREEL— SHUNEM— NAIN. 

Valley of Megiddo — Verdure — Gilboa — Jezreel— Naboth's Vineyard— Bethshean 
—Gideon's Army— Battle of Mount Tabor— Bedawin Tents— The Shunamite 
Woman— Little Hermon— Visit to Nain— Endor— Saul and the Witch 360 

XXIX— MOUNT TABOR AND THE SEA OF GALILEE. 

Ascent of Tabor— First Sight of the Sea of Galilee— Magnificent View— Scene of 
the Transfiguration — Trial of Baal at Carmel — The New Prophet — Fine Morn- 
ing—Sons of Ishmael— On the Bank of the Lake— Tiberias— Hot Springs. . .370 

XXX. — PLAIN OF GENNESARETH — CAPERNAUM — SEA OF 
GALILEE. 

Along the Shore— Magdala— " Land of Gennesaret"— Chinnereth— Bethsaida— 
Capernaum — Home of Jesus — Back to the Tents — Sunday at the Sea of Galilee 
— Services — Last View of the Lake — Poem 381 

XXXI— MOUNT OF BEATITUDES— C ANA— NAZARETH. 

Sermon on the Mount — Battle of Hattin— Cana — Vale of Nazareth — Church of 
the Annunciation — Work-shop of Joseph — Mensa Christi— Girls at the Foun- 
tain of the Virgin— Evening in Nazareth— Fine View from the Hill— Foot- 
prints of Jesus— Sefurieh— Mt. Carmel— Thunder-storm— Plain of Acre.. ..395 

XXXII— PHOENICIA— COAST OF TYRE AND SIDON. 

Saint Jean d'Acre— Achzib — High Promontory — Alexander's Tent^-Ladder ol 
Tyre — Ras el-'Ain — Aqueducts — Tyre, its Present Aspect and Ruins — Paul's 
Visit— River Leontes— A Curious Story— Roman Relics— Sarepta— The Poor 
Widow— Footsteps of Jesus— Approach to Sidon— Fruit Gardens— A Christian 
Family— Sidon to Beirut 411 

XXXIII— BEIRUT— SMYRNA—CONSTANTINOPLE— ATHENS— HOME. 

Situation of Beirut— Dr. Thomson— Sabbath Service— Farewell to the Holy 
Land— On the Mediterranean— Cyprus— Rhodes— Patmos— Sights in Smyrna— 
Mitylene ^- Ilium — Situation of Constantinople — Saint Sophia— Mosques- 
Tombs— Seraglio Palace— Bosphorus to Black Sea— Golden Horn— Classic 
Shores and Islands— Athens ; its Scenery and Temples— Mars' Hill— Mount 
JStna— Messina— Marseilles— Paris— Homeward Bound 423 

Appkkdix— Visit of the Prince of Wales to the Cave of Machpelah 435 



s. 



THE DATE-PALM OF EGYPT AND PALESTINE. 



EUROPE, EGYPT, AND THE HOLY LAND, 



i. 

iff* passage — 

The Old World! It had been for years, my eager 
desire and hope to see it — to be a pilgrim in its lands 
historic and sacred, with which are associated the 
great and thrilling events of the past. I had longed 
to look npon its mountains, lakes, and rivers, its cities 
and peoples, its monuments and ruins. At length, by 
a favoring Providence, the way was prepared, and the 
preliminaries of the tour arranged. The City of Elms, 
and dear friends, offering their prayers and benedic- 
tions, were left behind ; and on a beautiful day at 
noon I embarked from New York on the steamer City 
of Washington. It was a sad moment, parting with 
those who had accompanied me to the ship. We 
watched each other, I on deck and they on the wharf, 
waving our handkerchiefs, till we could discern each 
other no longer. Then there were tearful eyes on ship 
and shore. Such a scene and one's indescribable 
emotions are not to be forgotten, as the ship begins to 
move, and bears him away, away, till friends and 
native land fade from si^ht. I knew but one of the 
passengers, the Rev. A. D. Gillette, D. D., of New 
York, my genial compagnon du voyage. 

1* 



14 



SEA-LIFE — ICEBERGS ST. JOHNS. 



The weather for two days was delightful, though 
the swell of the sea was considerable from a previous 
storm. A large majority of the passengers were sea- 
sick, some of them severely so, scarcely appearing at 
the table during the voyage. I escaped entirely ; and 
notwithstanding it was a somewhat long and rough 
passage, I enjoyed it. On the third day out, we met 
the Persia, and exchanged shouts and salutations. 
The monotony of sea-life is broken in various ways. 
Now it is calm and clear, and the sun goes down to 
rest in a bed of molten gold. Then come fogs and 
rains and gales, and the waves roll and break furiously, 
while the ship careens and pitches as she struggles on. 
There is something indescribably grand in the extent 
and movements of " this great and wide sea." I 
watch it for hours with constant and delightful 
thoughts of Him who holds the waters in the hollow 
of His hand, and whose footsteps are in the great 
deep. I had longed to see icebergs, and was gratified. 
Among several, seen at different times, one was 
gloriously magnificent and beautiful, as it loomed up 
at some distance, like a splendid architectural pile, 
with domes and minarets glittering in the setting sun. 
I was favored also with the sight of several whales 
sporting and spouting, and partly throwing their huge 
forms out of the sea. The sight of land was pleasant, 
as we entered the harbor of St. Johns, Newfoundland, 
to take the passengers of the Edinburgh, wrecked by 
an iceberg, among whom was a member of my dear 
flock, who, in the hour of awful peril, was calm in the 
hope and peace which Jesus gives. This detention, 
and constant head-winds, made our passage long. 



SERVICES LAND HO ! BLARNEY CASTLE. 



15 



Many agreeable acquaintances were made and con- 
versations held, to be remembered as a perpetual 
pleasure. The number of passengers was large, and 
the regulations of the ship admirable. Capt. Petrie 
was ever cheerful, and unwearied in his efforts to 
make all comfortable and happy. He read the English 
Church Service on each of the two Sabbaths, and on 
the second, two sermons were also preached by 
Presbyterian and Baptist ministers. On the last 
evening before the coast of the Emerald Isle greeted 
our glad sight, we had a very pleasant literary enter- 
tainment. Poems were read and recited, speeches 
made, and songs sung. Instead of proceeding to 
Liverpool, we, with several others, left the steamer as 
she touched at Qneenstown, on the evening of July 
1st. We had been over thirteen days on the sea, and 
it was grateful to stand again on the solid ground. 
We were detained but a little by the Custom-house 
officers, and soon found comfortable quarters at 
Queen's Hotel. 

My first day in Ireland was one of much enjoyment. 
In the midst of objects strange and novel, excitement 
ran high, and it was easy to laugh or to weep. The 
scenery from Queenstown to Cork, and thence to 
Blarney Castle, is various and enchanting. Hills, 
valleys, cultivated fields, flowing streams, fine build- 
ings, and old ruins, were surveyed with delighted 
admiration. This old castle, containing the famous 
u Blarney Stone," is a grand ruin, covered with ivy. 
and situated amidst beautiful grounds. We climbed 
to the top of its tower, and enjoyed the view it 
presents. 



16 



SABBATH IN KILLARNEY THE LAKES. 



The same afternoon we went by railway to Killarney, 
in the South of Ireland. Everywhere the fields looked 
green and rich, bearing good crops, and making a 
striking contrast with the miserable mud-cabins scat- 
tered among them. The next day was Sunday. We 
walked from the Lake Hotel, about two miles, to the 
town, over a fine road with a high stone wall and 
locked gates each side, to the Episcopal church, where 
we heard from a curate an excellent sermon, evangel- 
ical and earnest ; but the audience was small. Pas- 
sing up the principal street after service, we found it 
full of people, ragged and filthy for the most part, 
looking as though they had just come out of the 
wretched huts, matted thickly together, and forming 
the queerest looking town I had ever seen. I was 
informed that many of these people were from the 
region about, and had come to hire out and be hired 
for the week. We called at the Wesleyan Chapel, 
and saw the minister, who insisted that one of us 
should preach in the evening, and the other give an 
account of the American revival, in which they were 
greatly interested. Dr. Gillette preached, and I spoke 
of the revival, more particularly as I had witnessed it 
in my own city and congregation. Out of a popula- 
tion of nine thousand in this town, there are but one 
hundred Protestant communicants. The multitudes 
are ignorant, degraded Papists. 

The next day, July 4th, was one of marked interest. 
A party of a dozen or more Americans, mostly fellow- 
voyagers across the Atlantic, made the tour of the 
mountains and lakes of Killarney. We rode several 
miles on Irish jaunting cars, a vehicle I like much for 



FINE SCENERY— FOURTH OF JULY. 



17 



its ease and convenience. It has but two wheels, and 
you sit back to back, two or three on a side, looking 
into the fields each way. One horse will thus easily 
draw six persons besides the driver, who sits in front. 
We then walked through the Gap of Dunloe, passing 
the cottage of Kate Kearney. The scenery, embrac- 
ing high, conical, bare and rocky hills, and deep vales, 
with little lakes and lively streams and cascades, is at 
once wild, beautiful and grand. We were followed 
by jolly Irish peasant girls, some with bottles of 
" Mountain Dew," a kind of whiskey, and others with 
goat's milk, pertinaciously urging us to buy the 
" punch," and not succeeding they begged as persis- 
tently for pennies. At length we reached by a long 
descent, the head of the lakes, where we took boats, 
and by strong arms were rowed through a succession 
of lovely sheets of water, linked together by narrow 
crystal outlets, and hemmed around by mountainous 
cliffs and green hills, ever-changing in form, as we 
glided along a circuit of many miles, till we reached 
our hotel. Now and then, under some tall cliff, the 
bugle was sounded, and delightful echoes given. As 
we passed Eagle's Nest, a bird of Jove soared from the 
summit of the mountain and swept over our heads, 
"'lis the Agle of Indepindence," shouted one of the 
sturdy oarsmen, and their lusty "hurrahs!" sounded 
out in honor of the glorious Fourth and of us Amer- 
icans. 

"We had made arrangements for a sort of extempo- 
raneous celebration on our return. We had a fine 
dinner. The American flag was hoisted on a pole ; 
tiie Declaration of Independence was read ; an Ora- 



18 



CELEBRATION LIMERICK- — DUBLIN. 



tion and Poem were delivered, the former by William 
E. Robinson, Esq., of New York, the latter fell to my 
lot ; thirteen toasts were proj)osed, and eloquent and 
appropriate speeches made. Dr.* Gillette spoke in 
behalf of the clergy. The following is one verse of 
the Poem : 

0, Country of Freedom ! 

What music to-day 
Breaks over thy vastness 

With jubilant sway ! 
I hear the glad sound 

Stealing o'er the wide sea, 
And my heart beats response 

To the Song of the Free ! 

The celebration, all of which was in good taste and 
order, closed with a moderate display of fireworks. 
The occasion excited much pleasant interest. The 
editor of the County newspaper was present, and 
published in his next issue a full account, including 
the speeches and poem ; and we saw a notice of the 
celebration in various papers of the kingdom. 

On the way to Dublin, we stopped at a railway 
junction and made an excursion to Limerick, and 
spent two hours in walking about that old city and on 
the baaks of the Shannon. We passed several days 
in Dublin, including a Sabbath. It is a fine city, con- 
taining many objects of interest. We visited the 
Botanical Gardens, Trinity College, on Commence- 
ment day, and saw students in their black gowms, and 
Professors in their red ones ; the Royal Society, con- 
taining many ancient relics of Ireland ; and Christ's 
and St. Patrick's churches, in the latter of which Dean 
Swift officiated, and was buried. The Presbyterian 



PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY REVIVAL. 



19 



General Assembly of Ireland was in session, and we 
attended several of its meetings, which were of marked 
interest, especially the accounts of the great and mar- 
velous religious awakening in progress in the North 
of Ireland. Some of the ministers said there had been 
more conversions in two or three weeks in their con- 
gregations, than in twenty years before. Some even 
of the ministers had been converted, confessing that 
though they had preached the gospel correctly, they 
had never till now preached it with Jesus in their 
hearts. Convictions are deep, striking and powerful. 
Many are prostrated physically, and seem to lie almost 
unconscious for awhile. These strange bodily mani- 
festations are not encouraged, and are regarded as 
accidents of a great and glorious work of the Spirit of 
God. Meetings are held nearly every evening, the 
churches are crowded, and day meetings are held in 
the open air. Some of the converts say they were 
awakened by letters from America. Prayers offered 
in our revival meetings are no doubt being answered 
in Ireland. We heard, one evening, an address from 
Brownlow North, Esq., and formed some pleasant 
acquaintances with members of the Assembly, and by 
invitation, dined with Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick, in whose 
church they met, and breakfasted with the whole 
Assembly in the Rotunda, where the ladies provided 
each morning for about four hundred ministers and 
delegates. We dined also with a large-hearted Elder, 
who took us in his family carriage three miles out, to 
the Roebuck House, his beautiful suburban residence, 
and allowed us to wander over his richly cultivated 



20 



BELFAST — GIANT'S CAUSEWAY. 



gardens and gather as many large and delicious straw- 
berries as we chose. 

We were kindly entertained also by the pastor of 
the Baptist church, who accompanied us to the beau- 
tiful region in the County of Wicklow — including a 
visit to Powerscourt Waterfall, and the Glen of the 
Downs — and prevailed on us to occupy his pulpit on 
the Sabbath, and give some sketches of the work of 
God in the United States. His people were very 
much interested, and lingered to converse with us after 
service, and listen to some of the hymns and tunes sung 
in our revival meetings. We were introduced to sev- 
eral Episcopal clergymen, who are much interested in 
the revival, and unite with others in prayer-meetings, 
and we dined with one at his pleasant manse a few 
miles from Dublin. These cordial and brotherly greet- 
ings and kind hospitalities evinced a generous Chris- 
tian spirit, and were gratefully appreciated. 

Belfast, which we next visited, is a thriving, Amer- 
ican-like city. On our way thither we passed through 
Drogheda, where the battle of Boyne was fought, July 
1, 1690. The venerable Dr. Cooke, at the head of 
the Presbyterian ministry in Ireland, having been halt' 
a century in the service, kindly conducted us to sever- 
al immense linen manufactories, the College and The- 
ological Seminary, in which he is a professor, and in 
sisted on our dining at his house. We passed Bally 
mena on our way to Portrush, and saw several religious 
meetings in the open air in progress. We had now 
reached the northern coast of the island, and were in 
sight of the far-famed Giant's Causeway. A few miles 
by jaunting car brought us to the spot. But we paused 



BOUND TOWERS — ROMANISM. 



21 



mid-way to survey the grand old ruins of Dunluce 
Castle, perched on the edge of a cliff hundreds of feet 
above the sea. It is impossible to give an adequate 
description of the Giant's Causeway, familiar from 
childhood in pictures which utterly fail to delineate it. 
It is a magnificent affair, however, wonderfully bold 
and unique in its configurations, embracing deep caves, 
bridge-like abutments, high bluffs and perpendicular 
columns of basalt and trap. 

In our journeys through Ireland we noticed not only 
ruined castles, but many ancient Kound Towers, some 
of them a hundred and fifty feet high, and in a good 
state of preservation. They commonly stand alone, 
and their origin and object appear to be wrapped in 
mystery. Ireland is more beautiful than I had sup- 
posed, and where Protestantism prevails, the people are 
intelligent and thrifty; but it is all the reverse under 
Komanism, which is the curse of the country. An- 
other evil is the large land-estates, making the masses 
all tenants. There are great extremes among the peo- 
ple — the rich and upper class, and the lower class, 
very poor, with hardly any that may be called a 
middle class. 

There is a marked distinction between Ireland and 
Scotland. They are different in their scenery, differ- 
ent in the characteristics of the people. Indeed, one 
is struck with the perceptible change in various 
respects, as he travels from the center to the North 
of Ireland. The cabins of the people grow better, 
their language is more Scottish, the accent broader, 
and they look better and thriftier in every way. This 
change is owing to the more general prevalence of 



22 



TRIP TO SCOTLAND — THE HIGHLANDS. 



Protestantism in the North. Eomanism is a dead 
weight upon the masses who adhere to it. It crushes 
the very life of liberty and enterprise out of them, 
Happy will it be for Ireland when its terrible yoke 
shall be broken. The present glorious revival is a 
star of hope and promise. 

We had a fine trip by steamer from Portrush to 
Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. It took us from 
morning till late at night. We stopped a couple of 
hours at Islay, a Scottish island. In wandering upon 
the shore and through a village, we came to the open 
door of a school-room, and were invited in by the 
teacher. He called up a class, and exhibited their 
proficiency in various branches of study. They 
acquitted themselves well. The school-room was 
attached to a house of worship. Here, I thought, is a 
symbol of Scottish character — religion and education 
united. I do not remember to have seen a school- 
house in Ireland — none in the rural districts. Another 
thing : in Scotland you meet with no beggars. In 
Ireland they are as thick as grasshoppers, and follow 
and importune you with an almost resistless pertinacity. 

We had many a fine view of water and island, of 
shore and mountain, as we voyaged along through the 
day. Early the next morning we took another 
steamer, and went still farther up, through Loch 
Linnhe and into Loch Levin, passing by old castles 
and other scenes of picturesque and romantic interest. 
At Ballahulish we took a coach for a magnificent 
drive of more than forty miles through the Highlands ; 
and long shall we remember that day. On every 
hand in endless diversity, rose grand and glorious 



LOMOND AND KATRINE— TROSSACHS. 23 



mountains, crowned with alternate mist and clouds 
and glorious sun-light, and in one instance with banks 
of glittering snow. Now the lofty slopes were ragged 
and rocky, and then they were covered to the very 
summits with a beautiful grassy verdure, while along 
the rising and rounded hill-sides large flocks of sheep, 
and sometimes antlered deer, were feeding. ISTuw a 
crystal stream like a silver ribbon came gently down 
the far declivities, and again it bounded along, leaping 
over a precipice in a splendid waterfall. The Pass of 
Glencoe is grandly wild. We looked sadly upon the 
little ruins that mark the spot of a terrible massacre. 

The end of our coach ride brings us to the head of 
the beautiful and mountain-hemmed Loch Lomond. 
A little steamer takes us quietly over its calm surface, 
while wc observe its romantic surroundings, and gaze 
upon spots of special or historic interest. We almost 
expect to see Rob Roy hurrying into his cave. The 
mist for a moment is lifted from the summit of Ben 
Lomond, and he appears as if standing tip-toe to look 
over into the charming lake. We traverse nearly 
the whole length of the lake, and rest for the night 
close on its margin. After taking a morning bath in 
its pure water, we walk to Loch Katrine, smaller, but 
if possible more beautiful and romantic than Loch 
Lomond. As we glide over its surface, by Ellen's 
Isle, and under the shadow of Ben-venue, the charms 
with which Walter Scott has invested it in the Lady 
of the Lake, have a living interest. We then pass by 
coach through the Trossachs, wild, bristling and forest- 
covered mountains, and along the shores of sweet 
little lakes, making altogether a rich variety of the 



24 



STIRLING CASTLE— EDINBURGH. 



most charming and sublime scenery. It would seem 
that the great and blessed Creator had here taken 
special pains to awaken in the minds of His creatures 
an admiration for His handiworks, and a holy aspiration 
to stand at length by the river of life and the heavenly 
hills. 

We reached Edinburgh by rail the same day, 
stopping two hours at Stirling. The old castle at the 
latter place contains many relics of interest — the pul- 
pit and communion-table of John Knox, an almost 
endless variety of old arms and armor, and various 
things relating to Mary Queen of Scots, who was here 
imprisoned. The views from the elevated castle are 
about as splendid as human eye ever beheld. Battle- 
fields of "Wallace and Bruce are in sight. But the 
wide, green fields, fringed with hedges, the beautifully 
winding rivers Teith and Forth, the vales and wood- 
land hills, on which the slanting sunbeams fall through 
the clouds, formed an enchanting scene long to be 
remembered, and vividly suggestive of the Land 
Beulah and the Delectable Mountains. 

Edinburgh is a wonderfully unique and picturesque 
city, containing much to interest the traveler. We 
visited Holyrood Palace and Abbey, and there 
obtained a good view of the Prince of Wales, as he 
went out for a walk into the city. He resembles the 
portraits of Victoria, his mother. In Edinburgh 
Castle we saw the regalia of Scotland, including the 
golden and jeweled crown. We went into St. Giles's 
church, where Knox preached, stood on the spot 
where he was buried, and went to the house where he 
lived. In the Advocates' Library we saw a copy of 



MELROSE — ABBOTSFORD— DR. CANDLISH. 25 



f.he first edition of the Bible printed with types, and 
an older copy in manuscript ; also Scott's Waverly in 
manuscript, and a finely preserved mummy, supposed 
to belong to the house of Pharaoh. There, too, we 
saw the old Covenant and Confession of Faith, with 
the original signatures, What a world of varied 
thoughts such sights awaken ! 

We made a delightful excursion to Melrose Abbey, 
wonderful, though in ruins, for the exquisite beauty 
and finish of its architecture, as well as its grand pro- 
portions. Its Gothic arches, great windows, and fine 
statuary, over which mosses cling and ivies creep so 
gracefully, seemed like enchantment as 

11 The ruddy light of morning bold 
Stre amed o'er the ruin gray and old." 

We drove to Abbotsford, the splendid residence of 
Sir Walter Scott, and to Dry burgh Abbey, where he 
was buried. In the various rooms he once occupied 
his impress lives in a thousand forms, but a great- 
grandchild is the only survivor of his family. 

On Sunday we regretted the absence of Dr. Guthrie, 
but heard Dr. Candlish. His manner is peculiar, 
nervous and twitching ; but his sermon was rich and 
pungent with evangelical truth. I heard also a good 
discourse from Rev. Mr. Dickie, of the oldest Baptist 
church in Edinburgh, and enjoyed a pleasant visit at 
his house. With the family of Mr. T. G. Douglas, 
formerly of New Haven, Ct., I had a most delightful 
home during my stay in the city. On our way to 
England we stopped awhile in Glasgow, a great com- 
mercial city, visiting its grand old Cathedral and 
other objects of interest. 



II. 



tfttglimir— Mate— ptir gluts. 

The rural scenery of England is garden-like and beau- 
tiful. The verdure is rich and velvety, the flowers 
have bright and sparkling lines, and the fields, divided 
into small lots by green hedges and ornamental trees, 
present a picturesque and charming appearance. We 
were passing through the heart of the island, when the 
reapers were everywhere harvesting the golden wheat. 
It was a fine sight, and the crop seemed to be good 
and large. It is strange to me not to see any Indian 
corn growing. None is raised here ; it would not 
ripen in this climate. 

In passing from Glasgow to Liverpool we had a fine 
view of the country. We stopped at Beattock, and 
walked in the evening two or three miles to the little 
village of Moffat, where there is a celebrated sulphur 
well, the resort of numerous invalids, whom we saw 
early the next morning, making their way to the foun- 
tain to drink of the nauseous but healing water. At 
Carlisle we left the train again, and wandering over 
the city, visited its old Cathedral. We passed through 
Penrith and Lancaster, observing a venerable feudal 
castle at the former place. We reached Liverpool in 
the evening, and were directed to the Crooked Billet 
Hotel. 



CAERNARVON AND LIVERPOOL. 



27 



Next we made a pleasant excursion into Wales, as 
far as Caernarvon, stopping a little time at the inter- 
esting old town of Chester, and walking on its ancient 
wall. Beautiful and striking scenery — mountain and 
river, sea and island — greeted us all the way. Con- 
way and Caernarvon have their splendid old castles. 
The Tubular Railway Bridge over the Menai Straits, 
near Bangor, is a wonderful triumph of skill. Caer- 
narvon is a place of much interest. Its castle is a 
most magnificent ruin. Its massive and lofty walls, 
surmounted with towers, enclose an area of about 
three acres. We ascended to the top of the highest 
tower, and entered the little room where Edward II. 
was born, the first Saxon Prince of Wales. From a 
high hill back of the town we saw the Snowdon moun- 
tains, and Snowdon itself, rising in bold and shadowy 
grandeur a few miles from us. We chanced to meet 
a deacon of the Baptist church. He conducted us to 
the plain chapel where the eloquent Christmas Evans 
preached for some years, and where he sat under his 
ministry. Glorious " specimens of Welch preaching " 
those walls have often heard. The Welch language 
and peculiar costume of the old women, especially 
with their black fur or silk stovepipe hats, are still in 
vogue. 

We visited St. George's Hall, and other public 
buildings in Liverpool. We had the pleasure of hear- 
ing on the Sabbath, and also of enjoying pleasant 
social interviews with, Bev. Hugh Stowell Brown, for 
fourteen years pastor of one of the Baptist churches, 
and the most popular preacher in the place. His 
house of worship is being enlarged, so as to furnish 



28 REV. H. 8. BROWN AND DR. RAFFLES. 

sittings for 2,200 people. The large hall where we 
heard him was entirely filled. He is preaching a 
course of sermons on the Gospel by John. His text, 
that morning, was — " Ye have not chosen me, but I 
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go 
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should 
remain." He first considered the fact that Christ's 
disciples are chosen or selected by Him, and secondly, 
the purpose for which they are chosen. It was an 
excellent sermon, sound, clear, practical. Mr. Brown 
is an easy, fluent speaker, adapting himself to the 
comprehension of the masses. He is the son of a 
clergyman of the Established Church, and his age, I 
think, is thirty-six. He is not tall, but solid in form, 
is in robust health and vigor, and of manly appear- 
ance. May he long hold forth the word of life with 
power and success. 

A letter of introduction gave us a very pleasant 
interview with Rev. Dr. Raffles, now in the fiftieth 
year of his ministry. He received us with the great- 
est cordiality and affability. I had made a suggestion 
of going to the place where his immediate predecessor, 
the youthful and eloquent Thomas Spencer, was 
drowned. Dr. Raffles showed us a manuscript note- 
book, in which Spencer had recorded his texts from 
the time he began to preach. He spoke of the recent 
American edition of his Life of Spencer, and of the 
handsome style in which Messrs. Sheldon & Co. had 
issued it. The day of this interview we went to Lon 
don> and the first news we heard from home, was the 
death of Kingman Nott, so like that of Spencer. It 
was a sad shock and heavy grief to us, for we knew 



BEDFORD AND ELSTOW — BUNYAN. 



31 



our young brother well, and loved him, how much ! 
Other well known brethren in the ministry had fin- 
ished their work also — in so short a time had death 
plucked a goodly cluster. 

Our next excursion was to several deeply interesting 
places once hallowed by the presence and deeds of the 
great and good. First we went to Bedford, leaving 
London early in the morning, July 27th. As we en- 
tered the town, and were crossing the bridge over the 
Ouse, with what intense interest we gazed on the spot 
where stood the jail in which Bunyan was a prisoner 
so long, and where the immortal allegory had its birth ! 
The little river flows on as when he saw it from his 
grated window, but not a vestige of the jail remains. 
" It was at that corner of the street," said our guide, 
as we passed along, " that Bunyan heard the pious 
women talking of religion." This was before his con- 
version. We went to the house of worship, a large 
and substantial one, which occupies the site of that in 
which Bunyan preached. In the vestry we sat in a 
chair once owned and used by him, and for which a 
large sum of money has been repeatedly offered and 
refused. We saw some relics of his also, particularly 
a little cabinet or tool box, now kept by the pastor of 
the church, Rev. Mr. Jukes. A pleasant drive 
brought us to Elstow, and to the cottage in which the 
glorious tinker was born. We stood within the walls 
that were once his home. There he mended pots and 
pans, and there, doubtless, he wrote some of his 
delightful books. We gave the good lady of the cottage, 
who kindly received us, a shilling or so for her trouble, 
and she gave us some nice plum-pudding, just taken 

2 



32 



CARDINGTON AND KETTERING FULLER. 



smoking from the pot. I plucked a leaf from a grape, 
vine clambering up the side of the cottage, and 
enclosed it in my next letter, that it might be looked 
upon by dear eyes at home. 

Another short drive brought us to Cardington, the 
beautiful residence of the immortal John Howard, and 
from which he exiled himself that he might labor amid 
peril and pestilence, for the benefit of wretched prison 
inmates. He was both a true philanthropist and hero 
and will be held in everlasting remembrance. We 
entered the house in which he lived, and walked 
under stately trees which he planted amid those 
charming grounds. The place is now occupied by a 
member of Parliament. 

The same day found us at Kettering, a name and 
place forever to be associated with the history of mod- 
ern missions — hallowed, too, as the scene of Andrew 
Fuller's pastoral labors, and the spot where his 
precious dust reposes. It is a small, pleasant town, 
occupying a gradual slope. We made our way to the 
Baptist chapel. A good woman opened its door, and 
A-hen she found we were Baptist ministers from 
America, she warmly grasped our hands, saying she 
must give us the right hand of fellowship. "Do you 
remember Andrew Fuller ?" " O yes, I was a little girl 
in the gallery yonder, and recollect his preaching 
well." More than forty years have passed since those 
lips, touched with sacred fire and heavenly wisdom, 
were sealed in death ; yet the place seems instinct 
with his presence. The same room and pews, the 
same pulpit and communion table, that witnessed his 
ministrations, remain. A marble tablet to his memory 



BAPTIST MISSIONS NORTHAMPTON. 



33 



graces the wall. We stand in his pulpit, ready to take 
off our shoes, and long and pray for the mighty soul 
of piety that lived and wrought in him. Our feelings 
are deepened as we go a few steps and linger at his 
tomh. O rare and excellent man of God ! well didst 
thou do thy blessed work, and thy rest is glorious ! We 
entered the parsonage where Fuller lived and died, 
and were kindly received by Mrs. Mursell, wife of the 
present pastor, who was absent. 

Up that street, yonder, the great and good Dr. John 
Gill, the learned commentator, was born. A little 
farther down the slope, and in reaching the place we 
pass the chapel of the Rev. Mr. Toller, the friend of 
."Robert Hall, is the memorable spot where the Baptist 
Missionary Society was formed in 1792, the first of 
those great modern movements for the world's evan- 
gelization. We are kindly admitted to the room, and 
as we stand there, the reverend forms of those saintly 
and large-hearted men are imaged to our view. We go 
to the rear of the dwelling, and see the beautiful lawn 
where the jubilee was celebrated in 1842. A son of 
Mr. Toller, the Independent minister referred to above^ 
constrained us to go to his house, where we were en 
tertained by himself and his very interesting family in 
the most cordial and hospitable manner. He showed 
us many rare letters and autographs, and the biograu 
phical sketch of his father in manuscript, just as Rob- 
ert Hall wrote it. 

Northampton is not far off. We visited it the next 
morning. Here the Rylands lived and labored, and 
here Mr. J. E. Ry land still lives. He is the author, 
editor, or translator of several important works, 



84 



OLNEY, K3ENIL WORTH AND WARWICK. 



among them the Life and Letters of John Foster. W e 
had the pleasure of a few moments in his society. 
From the Baptist chapel where the Rylands preached, 
we went to that of the heavenly Doddridge, entered 
his vestry and his pulpit, lifting up our hearts to God 
for rich measures of the grace that dwelt in him. We 
saw the pew occupied by Col. Gardiner. The chair, 
table, and little mirror which Doddridge used are still 
in the vestry. Here the Rise and Progress was 
written. 

Our next pilgrimage was to Olney, the residence of 
William Cowper. We found access to his dwelling, 
and to the little summer-house in his garden, where 
he wrote " The Task," and many of his hymns. We 
sang there, perhaps in the very place where they were 
written, those heavenly lines : 

" There is a fountain filled with blood, 

Drawn from ImmanueFs veins, 
And sinneis plunged beneath that flood, 
Lose all their guilty stains." 

Here, too, the excellent John JSTewton preached and 
wrote, contributing his portion of the " Olney 
Hymns." Thomas Scott, the commentator, labored 
here also. We entered the old church, that has often 
echoed to their voices. 

These two days will long be remembered. Our 
pleasure was heightened by the company of the Rev. 
Dr. Stow and Rev. W. C. Child, of Boston. They 
returned to London, and we proceeded to Coventry, 
and then to Kenilworth and Warwick, whose grand 
old ivy-covered castles we wandered through, and 



STRATFORD, LEAMINGTON AND OXFORD. 



35 



afterwards made a pilgrimage to Stratford-on-Avon. 
Its principal attraction is a common dwelling, with 
this inscription over the door : " In this honse the im- 
mortal Shakespeare was born." The room in which 
the great poet first saw the light is entirely covered 
with the names of visitors. He was buried in the old 
church in the town, and its fine organ was being 
played when we entered it. A bust of the poet stands 
near his grave. Along side are the tombstones of his 
wife and daughter. I was interested in the lines upon 
the latter : 

" Witty above her sex, but that's not all, 
Wise to salvation was good Mistress Hall ; 
Something of Shakespeare was in that, but this 
Wholly of Him with whom she's now in bliss." 

Leamington, where we took a coach for Stratford, 
is a fine town, and in some respects the Saratoga of 
England, having a spring, whose water, though in- 
ferior in taste, is yet in effect much like that of the 
Congress Spring. Multitudes resort to it. 

We went by railway to Oxford, a place renowned 
from the days of King Alfred to the present. Here 
Richard Cceur-de-Lion was born, and WicklifFe was 
master of a college. The city has various attractions, 
but the University is the absorbing one. We got weary 
in trying to see the various college buildings and 
grounds. They are very numerous. Some of the 
edifices are very old, and full of historical interest, 
and some of the grounds are beautifully laid out and 
decorated. Some fine walks are shaded by grand old 
elms. But the elms of England are inferior to our 
own. Their boughs are not so branching and stately, 



36 



STONEHENGE ISLE OF WIGHT. 



so Gothic and graceful as ours. They look more like 
ash trees. We found the spot, marked by a stone 
cross in the middle of a street, where the martyr Bish- 
ops, Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were burnt. Not 
far off, a fine monument has been erected to their 
memory. We returned again to London. 

A subsequent visit to Southampton, and interesting 
excursions from that place, are among the pleasant 
memories of England. Southampton itself has attrac- 
tions as a fine and flourishing city. A Thursday even- 
ing service at the Baptist chapel, furnished occasion 
for a brief interview with the pastor, Rev. J. A. Spur- 
geon, a brother of the celebrated London preacher. 
He has popular gifts, and a large and growing congre- 
gation. Salisbury is easily reached by rail. I visited 
its splendid Cathedral, and took a drive over the plain 
— where shepherds are still found with their flocks — 
to the curious old Druid temple at Stonehenge. It is 
an ancient ruin, consisting of huge, rough stone shafts, 
mostly in an upright position, and arranged in con- 
centric circles. Another long day on the charming 
Isle of Wight was full of lively interest. We reached 
Ryde by steam, and then enjoyed, amidst lovely and 
romantic scenery, pleasant drives to Newport — to 
Carisbrook Castle, a historical and splendid ruin — to 
Arreton, passing near where the " Young Cottager " 
lived, visiting the old church, and lingering at the 
hallowed grave of the " Dairyman's Daughter," in the 
rear of it. Returning to the steamer at Cowes, we 
passed near the Osborn House, the beautiful summer 
residence of the Queen. 



III. 



London is a kind of world in itself. Think of three 
millions of people in one city ! What do they all do? 
How do they live? Where do they sleep ? Ah ! how 
many phases of human life, in all its contrasts of good 
and evil, of comfort and misery, does this great me- 
tropolis present! London! the very sound of it is 
suggestive of sonorous confusion and indefinite ampli- 
tude, and other things indescribable. It is a good 
place for one to feel humble, and how like a very atom 
he is in the world. He may drop into the dust, or 
float away in the air, and who cares? Bat to the 
Christian, how precious is the doctrine of God's spe- 
cial providence ! He regards with particular care 
and infinite love the least aiid feeblest of His trust- 
ing children. He who telle th the number of the stars, 
and calleth them all by their names — O, is it not a 
blessed thought that He is my Eefuge, and under- 
neath me are the Everlasting Arms ! 

I can only allude to some of the sights and scenes 
of London and vicinity. St. Paul's Cathedral is a 
magnificent structure. I ascended to the ball, the 
highest accessible point, 406 feet from the ground, 
and enjoyed a splendid view of the city and country 



38 IS AND ABOUT LONDON. 

about. Westminster Abbey, with its historical asso- 
ciations and monuments of sleeping dead, kings, no- 
bles and poets, is replete with interest. The Tower 
of London, terrible in its connection with imprison- 
ments, sufferings and violent deaths, one visits with a 
sense of awe. The British Museum and the Crystal 
Palace are so ample in their dimensions, and contain 
such a wonderful variety of things, antique and mod- 
ern, that one is bewildered and astonished. Hampton 
Court, the ancient home of Church and State digni- 
taries, and Windsor Castle, the residence of the royal 
family, in all their appointments and surroundings, 
their furniture and paintings are on a scale of magnifi- 
cence that must be seen to be comprehended. The 
entrance to the former and its flower-gardens, and the 
view of the country around the latter, are charming 
beyond description. 

The Houses of Parliament are splendid. We saw 
the members sitting on their benches facing each 
other, and with their hats on, and listened to a few in- 
different speeches. The lions were not roused. The 
Zoological Gardens are very extensive and the speci- 
mens of beast, bird and fish numerous. The Thames 
Tunnel is more curious than useful. Madame Tus- 
saud's exhibition of wax figures and curiosities is very 
attractive. Richmond Hill and the Parks of London 
are worthy of special notice. 

But no place interested me more than Bunhill 
Fields Cemetery. There is the tomb of John Bunyan. 
I hastened to it. ISTo path is so well trodden as that 
which leads to the grave of the Tinker of Elstow. O, 
it is a sacred spot ! and as I stood by that substantial, 



THE TOMB OF BUNT AN. 



39 



oblong monument, I tearfully longed for more of the 
Christ-like spirit that gave such a depth and richness 
and heavenly glow to the piety of the Immortal Alle- 
gorist. The simple inscription is — " Mr. John Bun- 
yan, Author of the Pilgrim's Progress, Obt. 31st Au- 
gust, 1688, JE. 60." The following verses were in- 
spired by the visit, and a part of them were written 
while I was sitting on the pedestal of 

BUNYAN'S TOMB. 

Thou prince of dreamers ! I have found 

The place of thy last sleeping, 
And grateful tread this hallowed ground, 

With mingled joy and weeping. 

Dear Bunyan ! long I've loved thy name 

More than my words can measure, 
And long shall pilgrims hold thy fame 

A sweet and precious treasure. 

Thou wast a burning, shining light 

In thy blest sphere of duty, 
Though then unknown a star so bright, 

So rich in heavenly beauty. 

God raised thee from thy lowly place, 

Thou plain, untutored thinker ; 
And gave thee, ah ! what gifts of grace, 

wondrous Elstow tinker ! 

Thy heart and tongue His Spirit fired, 
When from His foe, He gained thee : 

To preach His truth, He called, inspired, 
Commissioned and ordained thee. 

What crowds beneath thy earnest voice— 

Thy zeal to save them burning — 
Were made to weep, believe, rejoice, 

From sin to J esus turning ! 



THE TOMB OF BUNYAN. 



Satan or man — ay, both, no doubt, 

"With mischievous endeavor, 
Put thee in jail, to thus put out 

Thy kindled flame forever. 

Celestial genius would not die, 

Through years of long confining, 
Whilst thou, with comfort from the sky. 

Wast cheerful, unrepining. 

Methinks within thy dungeon's gloom 

A light divine had risen, 
To make it Glory's ante-room, 

Though still thy Bedford prison. 

How clearly there the heavenly path 

Rose on thy spirit's vision, 
That from the city doomed to wrath, 

Leads to the blest Elysian. 

Then passed before thee in thy dream 

A happy band and saintly ; 
Thy pictures make them real seem, 

Though oft a little quaintly. 

I love to trace their pathway o'er, 

And hear their joyful singing, 
Till, through the stream, they reach thd ehore 

Where angel-harps are ringing. 

Keep, Bunhill Fields, his precious dust. 

Housed in thy rare collection — 
How fair he'll shine among the just 

In the great resurrection ! 

Immortal dreamer ! slumbering here, 

How sweet thy Pilgrim's story; 
On thy blest tomb I drop a tear, 

And envy thee in glory. 



SMITHFIELD LONDON PREACHERS. 



41 



A jewel-studded crown — liow bright ! 

To thy dear head is given : 
May I be found with thee in light, 

A pilgrim safe in heaven. 

That cemetery is full of precious dust. It is a 
necropolis of dissenting ministers. I stood by the 
graves of Watts, Owen, Gill, Rippon, Hart, Ivemy, 
and the mother of John Wesley, whose grave and that 
of Adam Clarke I found across the street in the rear 
of a Methodist chapel. 

Not far from Bnnhill Fields is the district of old 
Smithfield, which every one familiar with the New 
England Primer, will recollect as the place where 
John Rogers, the martyr, was burnt at the stake. I 
tried to identify the exact spot, but no one knew pre- 
cisely where it was, only it was somewhere in that lit- 
tle open, space. In crossing and re-crossing it I 
probably stood on the very place where the good man 
resigned his soul to the chariot of fire. 

A word about some of the London preachers. The 
last Sunday in July I heard Mr. Spurgeon at the 
great Music Hall in Surrey Gardens. I went early 
and got a good seat. For more than an hour the peo- 
ple came thronging in, till the immense building was 
entirely filled. Mr. Spurgeon entered at a quarter to 
eleven, and as he ascends the pulpit you recognize 
him at once from his portraits, though he looks rather 
better than the best ot them. He glances over the 
vast assembly, which is now hushed to silence, bows 
his head a moment on the pulpit cushion, and then 
gives out the hymn, commencing, 

"There is a fountain filled with blood." 



42 



MR. SPURGEOn's PREACHING 



He reads a part of it with a full, clear voice, which 
rings in rich, mellow tones through every part of the 
Hall. He then tells them to sing with heart and 
voice, reading each verse before it is sung. A leader 
in front of the pulpit names the tune. A short, earnest 
prayer follows. Then he reads the fourth chapter of 
Hebrews, making striking and delightful comments 
as he passes from verse to verse. At the closing verse 
he says, " We are called upon to approach the throne 
of grace ; let us therefore all rise and sing one stanza 
before prayer — 

u Come, rny soul, thy suit prepare, 
Jesus loves to answer prayer ; 
He himself has bid thee pray, 
Rise and ask without delay." 

The assembly rise and sing it. A longer prayer fol- 
lows, in which various classes and the wants of the 
world are remembered. He then announces the hymn 
and reads it, and it is sung as before — 

" Rock of Ages ! shelter me." 

He says he hopes all w r ill sing; and whoever sings 
this hymn with the heart, is not far from the kingdom 
of God. Coming to the last verse, he says, " Sing the 
next four lines very solemnly." He reads them with 
a subdued voice, and the congregation sing them as he 
requests, with good effect, but very properly let their 
voices out fully on the two closing lines. He then 
announces his text: Matt. xi. 29 — "I am meek and 
lowly in heart." He presented the meek and lowly 
character of Christ as a reason why sinners should 
come to Him. He preached an hour, and all listened 



AND SERVICES — DR. GUMMING. 



43 



with deep and silent attention, and often a tear drop- 
ped here and there from many a moistened eye. 
Numbers stood through the whole service, as did the 
preacher -himself, not once taking his seat after he en- 
tered the pulpit. His manner of conducting the ser- 
vice is an element of his success. He seems like 
a general at the head of an army, marshaling his hosts 
and inspiring every heart. He sings with the congre- 
gation, whose many voices swell the volume of praise 
to heaven with thrilling effect. Immediately after the 
sermon, or a notice given, he dismissed the assembly 
with the benediction. Mr. Spurgeon preached just as 
I expected he would, and as you would expect him to, 
after reading one of his sermons. He is simple, direct, 
earnest, fluent, and has a clear and commanding 
voice. I heard him the next Thursday evening in his 
own chapel, and saw him baptize thirteen converts. 
I saw him in his vestry after service, and was very 
cordially received and invited to visit him at his house 
the next day. I spoke of the interest manifested 
toward him and his sermons in the United States. He 
seemed gratified, and gave me a handsome book, with 
his autograph, for a member of my family. I heard 
him preach again the next Sunday morning on Blind 
Bartimeus with the same deep interest. His new and 
magnificent Tabernacle is in process of erection. May 
God long spare him to preach in it, with no diminution 
of the power and success that are now associated with 
his labors. 

I heard Dr. Gumming preach a good practical ser- 
mon from the text, " Neither be partaker of other 
men's sins." He is a good-looking man, of medium 



44 



HALL, NOEL AND LANDELS. 



size, not over fifty, apparently, with a quiet, interest- 
ing manner of speaking. He read and expounded a 
part of the seventh chapter of Revelation, remarking 
that more people went out of London every Sabbath 
on excursions of pleasure, than were found in all the 
churches and chapels in the city ; and out of a pop 
ulation of three millions, there were but one hundred 
and fifty thousand communicants in the churches of 
all evangelical denominations. Still he believed, in 
the end, vastly more of the human race would be 
saved than lost. He thought the Hebrew, Greek, and 
English languages, would be spoken in heaven among 
the many " tongues." His house of worship was full. 
I also heard an able discourse from Rev. Newman 
Hall, pastor of Surrey Chapel, where Rowland Hill 
preached. I was very much pleased with Rev. Bap- 
tist W. Noel. I did not hear him preach, but dined 
with him at his invitation in company with Dr. Gill- 
ette. He is a perfect Christian gentleman, delighting 
in conversation pertaining to the kingdom of Christ. 
Happening into the chapel of Rev. William Landels, 
at Regent's Park, one evening, we found him baptiz- 
ing fourteen converts, in the presence of a large con- 
gregation ; that is, if a baptistery on a level with the 
floor, and in the rear of a large pulpit, can be said to 
be in the presence of the congregation. He invited 
us to breakfast with him, and we had a delightful in- 
terview at the house of Mr. Lush, an eminent barris 
ter, whose lovely family made us doubly welcome 
Subsequently I heard Mr. Landels preach a most ex- 
cellent and impressive sermon. 

His church is in a flourishing state ; so is that of 



PRAYER MEETINGS AND PREACHING. 



45 



Mr. Brock, where I attended a communion service. 
Both these chapels were erected or purchased mainly 
by the munificence of Sir Morton Peto, a member of 
Parliament, and one of Mr. Brock's deacons. 

The singing in all the churches I have attended, is 
congregational. It is sometimes good, and again quite 
indifferent. It is best where an organ and choir lead 
the congregation. I attended a number of prayer 
meetings in Ireland, Scotland, and England, and 
found them far less interesting than such meetings are 
with us. Generally only a very few persons took part, 
and they were called upon or previously spoken to by 
the leader. In no instance did I find a meeting in which 
any brother present was free to take a part, or invited 
to do so. The prayers and remarks were often tediously 
long. I do not think the English or Scotch preaching 
equal in excellence or power to that in our country. 
The ministers do not work as hard ; they are not so anx- 
ious and careful. There are marked exceptions, but, 
much of their preaching is like the week-evening lec- 
tures of our pastors ; expository, unstudied and com- 
mon place. Most of the houses of worship seem awk- 
wardly constructed and uncomfortable, having straight- 
backed pews, wide and high galleries, and lofty, tub- 
like pulpits. Some of the churches have a com- 
munion service every Lord's-day. As far as I was 
able to mingle with the ministers and brethren, I 
found them truly spiritual and earnest Christians. 



IV. 



Jnna— §rfpm— fdM— % \t ^kt 

A great fete was about to transpire in Paris, and 
we hastened across the Channel in a little steamer 
from Newhaven to Dieppe. It was a smooth, pleasant 
passage, and the full moon was just rising on a glo- 
rious evening, as we landed. After some delay in the 
examination of baggage and passports, we took the 
railway, and in three or four hours reached the old 
city of Rouen, where we stopped for the night. It 
was a delightful ride, and the green hills and valleys 
and cultivated fields were beautiful in the moonlight. 
But now, .among a people who spoke a different lan- 
guage, I seemed farther than ever from home. By a 
little exertion I was able to recall some of the French 
I once learned, and so got along tolerably well. We 
spent half a day in Rouen with much pleasure, visit- 
ing its old cathedral and fine churches, witnessing a 
beautiful marriage ceremony in one of the latter, and 
ascending to the top of the tower of the former, four 
hundred and sixty feet high, where we had a fine view 
of the city and country. Joan of Arc was here impri- 
soned and executed. A fine statue of her stands on 
the spot where she was burnt. A few hours' ride 
brought us to Paris. And what shall I say of this gay 
and gorgeous capital ? A lady remarked that it is the 



A MILITARY PAGEANT IN PARIS. 



47 



best pi ace in the world to forget God in ; and the 
multitudes seem to be improving it for that purpose. 

The birth-day of the great Napoleon was celebrated 
on the fifteenth of August, as a grand holiday, by 
games and plays, and in the evening by illuminations 
and fire-works, too extensive, beautiful and magnifi- 
cent to be described. I never expect to see again such 
a vast multitude of people together until the final day. 
The present Emperor made it the occasion of exhibit- 
ing to the Parisians, and thousands of others, his 
immense army, fresh from the recent victorious battle- 
fields of Italy ; and also to show his army the splen- 
dors of the French capital, and the exuberant greetings 
"of a people who delight in magnificent pageants and 
military glory. On the previous day, he brought his 
army into the city, taking Sunday as the day when 
the people would have leisure to witness the grand 
parade. This splendid pageant embraced nearly eighty 
thousand horsemen and footmen in uniform, and with 
their arms and implements of war. The Emperor 
rode at their head as they passed through the princi- 
pal streets, and then reviewed them in the Place Ven- 
dome, in the presence of the Empress and other 
dignitaries, and countless multitudes of people. Every 
street, balcony, and window affording a sight of the 
procession, was crowded ; and thousands of seats had 
been prepared in the Place Vendome, around the 
column and statue of Napoleon L, which seemed to be 
looking down on the brilliant spectacle. Indications 
of the recent bloody battles were observed. Now and 
then would be seen platoons of soldiers, without mus- 
kets or swords, some of them walking with crutches, 



48 



SERVICE IN THE AMERICAN CHAPEL. 



and others with their limbs bandaged or in slings. 
Again, only a few of a certain company or regiment 
would pass together. Their associates had perished 
on the field. Ah ! how many thousands, hurried to 
eternity amid the horrors of war, were thus missing 
from those ranks ! Frequently a tattered flag, taken 
from the enemy in battle, was borne along by its cap- 
tors, amid shouts of the throng and showers of bou- 
quets, thrown from the windows. Austrian cannon, 
also, the prize of the victors, were drawn in the 
procession. The whole line, often twenty deep, was 
between four and five hours in passing a given point. 

What striking contrasts, unobserved, unthought of 
by the multitude, often meet the All-seeing Eye ! A " 
minister of the gospel found it difficult to work his 
way through the crowd and military lines, that he 
might reach a quiet sanctuary, and preach the word 
of life to a few who had assembled to worship God. 
It was my privilege to be one of that few in the 
American Chapel, where, in the absence of the pastor, 
my friend and Christian brother, He v. Dr. Heacock, 
of Buffalo, preached a most excellent sermon from the 
words of Jesus, " Let not your heart be troubled : ye 
believe in God ; believe also in me." He spoke of 
the troubles arising from our nature or fallen state, 
and those caused by sin ; and presented Christ, and 
faith in Christ, as the only and certain cure. 

It is painful to think how few of all the throng and 
dwellers in this gay city, know Christ by a simple, 
evangelical, experimental faith. There are splendid 
churches here, as the ISTotre Dame and Madeleine, and 
priests, and services, and ceremonies, such as they 



FRENCH KELIGION AND HABITS. 



49 



are ; but they seem to be all outward, and showy, and 
hollow. There are pictures and images, and burning 
candles, and gaudy robes, and various manipulations 
of priests at the altar, and genuflections of the people, 
with crossings and countings of beads ; but scarcely 
anything that a Protestant regards as intelligent New 
Testament religion. No gospel truth is preached with 
simplicity and power; no prayers from full, penitent 
and pleading hearts seem to be offered. This unen- 
durable flummery of religion meets you everywhere 
on the Continent — in the cathedrals and churches, in 
processions through the streets, elevating the host, 
carrying an image of the Virgin and Child, bearing 
banners inscribed to saints and prayers to them for 
mercy, with men holding lanterns and long candles, 
little boys singing as they march, and girls swinging 
festoons of artificial flowers, while persons of both 
sexes kneel in the street, or cross themselves as the 
procession passes. No wonder that the more intelli- 
gent are infidels, and that the Sabbath is desecrated 
by pursuers of gain or pleasure, when nothing better 
is presented to meet the religious wants of man's 
nature. 

The French are a volatile, unthinking,people, living 
for to-day. They love to be out of doors, chatting 
with everybody about everything, for which their lan- 
guage is well suited. They scarcely seem to have any 
homes or family firesides, but live at cafes and restau- 
rants, often eating and drinking on the sidewalks, and 
sleep, I know not where. Still, they are a very polite 
and apparently decorous people. They are anxious to 



50 



PARIS AND VERSAILLES. 



oblige yon, graciously answering your questions, and 
going out of their way to direct you. 

I cannot dwell on the objects of interest in Paris. 
The Boulevards, the garden of the Tuileries, and 
Champs Elysees, have been often described. The 
Louvre gallery of paintings contains some exquisite 
pictures. Pere le Chaise has its attractions as a cem- 
etery. The tomb of the great Napoleon, not yet fin- 
ished, is a magnificent structure. A view of the city 
and country from the top of Notre Dame, and of the 
Triumphal Arch, are not soon to be forgotten. A half 
hour's ride by railway takes you to Versailles, through 
the groves of Boulogne, and near the Palace of St. 
Cloud. But who can describe the Palace of Ver- 
sailles, and its wonderfully beautiful grounds, groves, 
walks, statues, lakes and fountains? Its picture- 
gallery must be one of the largest in the world. 
You must travel six miles to go through all the rooms 
crowded with paintings and statuary. You have in 
these works of art a pictorial history of France, as 
they are arranged in chronological order. Many of 
the paintings are large and splendid ; but the eye is 
pained with suchan endless succession of battle-scenes, 
and longs for landscapes and angels of peace. We 
wandered through every apartment; and the silent 
language of many a portrait and picture and marble 
bust seemed to be, Where are the kings who planned 
and embellished this gorgeous palace? 

In going from Paris to Brussels, one passes through 
a region of no marked interest until Belgium is 
reached. You pass villages, forests and cultivated 
fields. In the last, about as many women as men are 



BELGIAN SCENERY— BRUSSELS. 



51 



at work. This is seen wherever you go on the Conti- 
nent, and to some extent in England. Belgium is one 
of the most beautiful countries I have seen. It is gen- 
erally level, and along nearly all its roads and canals, 
on either side, a fine row of thrifty, grown up trees 
meets the eye most pleasantly, and affords a charming 
shade to the traveler. Such rows of trees frequently 
divide fields, taking the place of hedges in England 
and fences in our country. You hardly see a fence 
or a wall, except around a city, in Europe. Brussels, 
"Belgium's capital," sung by the author of Childe 
Harold, as he introduces his vivid description of the 
battle of Waterloo, is in its public buildings, shops, 
parks, and general aspect, a lively, interesting, gay 
city, a sort of petit Paris. Several places of interest 
attract the attention of the traveler. The Museum 
contains some fine paintings by Rubens and Vandyck. 
A spirited equestrian statue of the crusader, Godfrey 
of Bouillon, stands in the Place Royale. The room 
where the abdication of Charles Y. took place is 
pointed out ; and in the market-place, in front of the 
Hotel de Yille, the Counts Egmont and Horn were 
beheaded by the order of the cruel Alva, who looked 
from a window on the bloody scene. The great hall, 
or ball-room, where, on the evening before the battle 
of Waterloo, 

" There was a sound of revelry by night," 

has been converted into a hospital. On entering the 
church of St. Gudule, one is struck by its beautifully 
painted windows, one of which, said to be the finest in 
Europe, long detains you in admiration of its exquis- 



52 



LEOPOLD — FIELD OF WATERLOO. 



ite coloring. Scarcely less interesting are the carved 
figures of the pulpit, representing the expulsion from 
Eden. Eve has plucked the apple, and is offering it 
to Adam, who has a look of surprise and horror, while 
an angel with a sword is descending, and Death is 
stealthily approaching. 

What a pity that such a country should be so thor- 
oughly Komish in its religion ! — that all the struggles 
of the past, and aspects of the present, should seem to 
culminate in the prevalence of the strong old delusion ! 
King Leopold, however, is a Protestant ; and it is 
remarkable that he should be universally popular with 
all classes. We had the gratification of seeing him. 
As he passed us in his carriage, we uncovered our 
heads, and he gracefully bowed to us. He is a fine- 
looking old man ; and we were the more interested in 
seeing him, as he was the husband of the lamented 
Princess Charlotte, heir to the crown of England, and 
on whose death Kobert Hall preached one of the most 
eloquent discourses that ever fell from human lips. 

An excursion of twelve miles by coach brings you 

<£ the place of skulls, 

The grave of France, the deadly Waterloo." 

It is an undulating plain of cultivated fields ; and yet, 
as an English officer, who was in the battle, acting as 
your guide, points out the positions of the contending 
armies, and their various movements, how easily the 
imagination reproduces the arrayed and bannered 
hosts, with all the terrible scenes of that memorable 
day ! The great leaders have gone to the grave ; and 
of the survivors of the battle, but few remain : suck 



ANTWERP CHURCHES RtTBENS. 



53 



are the victories of one mightier than human con- 
querors ! 

Between Brussels and Antwerp is Mechlin, distin- 
guished for the manufacture of lace. The tourist lin- 
gers at Antwerp, which offers some rare attractions. 
The city is finely situated for commerce on the banks 
of the Scheldt, and many ships from distant parts of 
the world are found at its magnificent docks, built un- 
der the direction of Napoleon. The old high houses, 
tapering up to pinnacle forms, have a quaint appear- 
ance ; and there is a sort of imitation of them in the 
grotesque straw bonnets of the elder women, and the 
heavy but pointed wooden shoes worn by the com- 
mon people. The churches here are embellished to a 
high degree. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is 
five hundred feet in length, and its spire, of great 
architectural beauty, is four hundred and sixty-six feet 
high. One will not soon lose the recollection of his 
extensive view from that giddy height, though the 
name he scratches under the little canopy may be 
noticed by few, and recognized by none. But the 
chief attraction is in the interior of the building. 
There is Rubens' great picture of the Descent from 
the Cross. You linger long before it in silent medita- 
tion, and thoughts of the wonderful skill of the artist 
are transferred to the overpowering scene he so vividly 
presents. His delineation of the dead Christ sur- 
passes anything I have seen. The interior of the 
church of St. Jaques is profusely rich in ornamental 
statuary, and contains also some fine paintings. Many 
marble carvings, some from designs of Rubens, are 
wonderfully elaborate and exquisite. Rubens was 



64 



DUTCH-LAKr 



-AIX-LA-CHAI'ELLE. 



buried in this church, and his tomb, with a beautiful 
picture of his family painted by himself, and hanging 
on the wall above it, is a great attraction. 

We made an excursion through Holland, our prin- 
cipal stopping-places being Rotterdam and Amster- 
dam. These cities are much alike, and without spe- 
cial interest. They are mostly built upon piles, and 
are cut up by numerous canals ; and as you look 
through a street, you see many of the houses leaning 
as if they would some time fall over. In the former 
city is a statue of Erasmus, and the house where he 
lived is found after a little searching. The people 
have a custom of fastening mirrors outside of their 
windows, that from within they may observe what is 
transpiring in the street. The women delight in bra- 
zen or gilt helmet-like ornaments glittering through 
their caps, and cropping out at their temples in large 
spiral wires or rings. Perhaps they think they are 
pretty. We passed through Delft and Leyden, places 
of great historical interest in their connection with the 
Pilgrim Fathers, and the struggles of religious liberty. 
Holland presents a singular appearance. Its ungainly 
windmills are sufficiently numerous for an army of 
pugnacious Don Quixotes. Holland mostly lies lower 
than the sea, which is kept off by dykes. You look 
over the fields in almost any direction, and sails of 
vessels meet your eye ; they are threading the various 
canals running through the country. Passing through 
Utrecht and Dusseldorf, we reached Cologne, in Prus- 
sia, where we were to take a steamer up the Phine. 

From Cologne, however, we first made an excursion 
to Aix-la-Chapelle, an old town commenced by the 



TOMB OF CHARLEMAGNE— -RELICS. 



55 



Romans, and noted in modern times as the place where 
various Congresses have met to settle treaties of peace 
between belligerent nations. Here Charlemagne is 
supposed to have been born, and here he died in 814. 
His tomb is in the Cathedral, a building which he de- 
signed after the form of the church of the Holy Sepul- 
chre at Jerusalem, and intended as his burial-place. A 
century or two after his death, the tomb was opened, 
and his remains removed. He was found seated upon a 
marble throne or chair, in his imperial robes, his scep- 
ter in his hand, aud his crown upon his fleshless brow. 
The marble chair, and two or three bones, including 
a skull, said to be those of Charlemagne, are shown to 
the visitor. His crown is also shown ; a priest placed 
it on our heads. Here, too, is a marble sarcophagus, 
said to be that of Augustus Caesar. It is elaborately" 
carved, and bears unmistakable evidence of Roman 
origin. It was given to this church by one of the 
early Popes. 

But the good-natured priest showed things more 
marvelous than these. I refer to sacred relics, among 
which are a piece of the original cross, a nail that fast- 
ened one of the hands of Jesus to it, a piece of the 
sponge wet with vinegar, one of the thorns of the crown, 
a portion of the napkin that covered the Saviour's head 
at his burial, and a lock of the Yirgin's hair ! These 
relics are kept in richly elaborated cases of gold, set 
with precious stones. It was somewhat amusing to us 
heretics to hear such things described as really being 
what they were said to be, and with a confident air of 
truthfulness ; but the priest got his fee, and we our 
first lesson of the kind. Other relics, enclosed in 

3 



56 COLOGNE ON THE RHINE DRACHEtfFELS. 



splendid cases, and among them the rohe worn by the 
Virgin at the Nativity, and the swaddling clothes in 
which Jesus was wrapped, are shown only once in 
seven years. It is said that more than 180,000 pil- 
grims came to see them in 1853. Next year they will 
be exhibited again. How great is the power of reli- 
gions superstition ! 

"We associate with Cologne an agreeable odor ; but 
walk through the streets of that city, and yon are 
greeted with perfumes quite the reverse. Its Cathe- 
dral is one of the most beautiful specimens of Gothic 
architecture in the world. Immense sums have been 
lavished upon it, and it is yet incomplete. 

A sail up the Rhine is delightful. At Bonn, a fine 
town, with its University where the husband of Queen 
Victoria studied, the beautiful scenery begins. There 
the banks grow more bold, rising sometimes to con- 
siderable mountains. Their slopes are often terraced 
quite to the summit, and covered with thrifty vines 
bearing the white and purple clusters. You frequent- 
ly pass places of historical interest, old towers, ruined 
castles, and modern chateaux of much beauty. The 
spot where the scenery is the most bold and ch ai ming, 
is that so pleasantly described in the following lines 
from " Ohilde Harold." 

The castled crag of Drachenfels 
Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine, 
Whose breast of waters broadly swells 
Between the banks which bear the vine, 
And hills all rich with blossomed trees, 
And fields which promise corn and wine, 
And scattered cities crowning these, 
Whose far white walls along them shine, 



MAYENCE AXD FKA2*KTT0ET. 



57 



Hare strewed a scene, which I should see 
With double joy, wert thou with me ! 

And peasant girls, with deep blue eyes, 
And hands which offer early flowers, 
Walk smiling o'er that paradise; 
Above, the frequent feudal towers 
Through green leaves lift their walls of gray, 
And many a rock which steeply lowers. 
And noble arch in proud decay, 
Look o'er this vale of vintage-bowers ; 
But one thing want these ba nks of Rhine — 
Thy gentle hand to clasp in mine ! 

The river nobly foams and flows, 

The charm of this enchanted ground, 

And all its thousand turns disclose 

Some fresher beauty varying round. 

The haughtiest breast its wish might bound 

Through life to dwell delighted here ; 

Xor could on earth a spot be found 

To nature and to me so dear, 

Could thy dear eyes, in following mine, 

Still sweeten more these banks of Rhine ! 

The closing couplet of each of these stanzas had to 
me a significance rendered intense from the fact that 
the day I was on the Rhine, was one of the pleasant- 
est anniversaries that loviDg hearts can cherish. 

We left the river at Majence, a city which claims 
the honor of being the place where the art of printing 
was invented by Gutenberg, a fine statue of whom 
stands in one of the public squares. From thence, 
passing through luxuriant vineyards and fruit orch- 
ards, we proceeded to Frank fort-on-the-Ma in e. This 
capital of Germany is a very attractive town, well 
worth a visit of the tourist. Luther lived here for a 



58 



GOETHE — HEIDELBERG-. 



time. Goethe was born here, and it being the anni- 
versary of his birth, his name, on the exterior of the 
house where that event took place, was wreathed 
around with flowers. An imposing and admirable 
statue of him graces a public square ; and near it is a 
triple statue of Gutenberg, Faust, and ShoefFer, with 
other emblematic figures, making one of the most 
striking and interesting specimens of sculpture I 
have seen. The Town House, a building of the fif- 
teenth century, and used as the Electors' Koom and 
Hall of the Senate, contains fine portraits of all the 
Emperors, from the time of Charlemagne to 1806. 
Among other paintings there, also, is a beautiful one 
of the Judgment of Solomon. We spent a Sabbath 
here, and attended worship at the English church. 
The congregation was small, and the minister drawled 
out the service in a wretched manner. His sermon 
was a miserable apology for preaching. 

From Frankfort, we went by rail to Heidelberg, a 
very pleasant town romantically situated on the river 
Neckar, and under the shadows of lofty hills, on the 
slope of one of which are the ruins of one of the finest 
old feudal castles in Europe. Some of its apartments 
are in a good state of preservation. A gallery of 
paintings and relics was well worth a visit. There I 
saw good portraits of Luther, Melancthon and others. 
But what interested me most was the identical gold 
ring which Luther placed upon the finger of his bride 
at the time of their marriage. A little relic, but how 
suggestive ! The University of Heidelberg has some 
five hundred students, several of them Americans. 1 
had a letter of introduction to one of the Professors, 



BADEN-BADEN GAMBLING — STRASBOURG. 5 9 



but calling at his residence, I found he was out of 
town, it being vacation. 

A visit to Baden-Baden, a famous watering place, 
convinces one that vicious practices are vigorously 
pursued there with unblushing boldness. An im- 
mense and beautiful hall is mostly devoted to the pur- 
poses of gambling. Crowds gather around the tables 
and many stake their money and lose or win, the los- 
ers of course out-numbering the winners. Yet the 
hope of such dishonest gain encourages the vice. 
You are surprised to see females vieing with the men 
in this wicked practice. The sins of the place are in 
strange contrast with its natural beauties. It is a 
charming village, nestled among hills and pleasant 
groves where it is a delight to wander. The waters 
of its mineral springs, bubbling hot from the earth, are 
used both for drinking and bathing. We visited the 
fine apartments of the Grand Duke in the New Castle, 
and beneath it entered some gloomy subterranean 
dungeons where according to tradition, persons were 
once confined and put to death by various methods 
of torture and execution, such as we have read of in 
connection with Bomish Inquisitions. The dismal 
rooms are well adapted to such purposes, and there 
were some evidences of the horrid reality. What 
startling disclosures are in reserve for the last day ! 

Strasbourg, on the borders of France, is visited by 
those who are desirous of witnessing the performance 
of a remarkable clock in its Cathedral. It is truly a 
wonderful piece of mechanism. I cannot detail all its 
operations which I saw at twelve o'clock. A cherub 
on one side of the dial struck the hour with a ham- 



60 



CUKIOUS CLOCK IN THE CATHEDBAL. 



mer ; another, on the opposite side, reversed an hour- 
glass which he held in his hands ; over the dial, fig- 
ures of the twelve Apostles came out successively and 
bowed to a figure of the Saviour, who stretched out 
his hand to them as giving a benediction to each as he 
passed. Higher up, a cock- flapped his wings, 
stretched up his neck, opened his mouth and crowed, 
doing it thrice at short intervals ; below the dial, a 
boy pointed his finger at the day of the month ; a fig- 
ure of the moon showed its present phase ; solar time 
and apparent time were indicated ; and a curious part 
of the mechanism exhibited all the ecclesiastical days 
of the year. The Cathedral itself is large and worthy 
of attention. Its beautiful spire is, I believe, the tal- 
lest in Europe, being four hundred and seventy-two 
feet high. The view from that elevation, including the 
Black Forest of Germany, will be a remembered pic- 
ture. 



V. 



StoitjtrMf— § Jour in % Sips. 

A month in Switzerland lias afforded me good oppor- 
tunity to see something of its striking natural scenery, 
its sublime mountains and charming lakes, and to 
mingle somewhat with its people. These have been 
weeks of intense excitement and unspeakable delight. 
On the tops of mountains, in the green valleys, or sail- 
ing over lakes, the eye has everywhere met rapt vis- 
ions, and the heart swelled with ecstacy amid scenes 
never to be forgotten. Under the low roof of a rude 
cottage, conversing with its inmates, or :"n the eternal 
solitudes of high Alpine passes, the pleasure of the 
journey has never failed. I have always admired 
grand mountains. I like to climb their rugged slopes, 
and look abroad from their glorious summits. The 
air is pure and bracing ; the exercise is vigorous and 
health-inspiring. Heaven seems to be near, and the 
presence of God is sensibly felt amid His stupendous 
creations. I had long hoped some time to traverse 
Alpine ranges, to visit the home of the glacier and the 
avalanche, and gaze on the snow-crowned brow of 
Mont Blanc. And now the favored time had come ; 
and with the mighty feeling of reality, I have often 
found myself repeating these apt and well-known lines 
of Byron : 



62 



THE SWISS BORDER RAIL-CARRIAGE8. 



Above me are the Alps, 

The palaces of Nature, whose vast walls 
Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps, 

And throned eternity in icy halls 

Of cold sublimity, where forms and falls 
The avalanche — the thunderbolt of snow ! 

All that expands the spirit, yet appalls, 
Gather around these summits, as to show 
How earth may pierce to heaven, and leave vain man below. 

From Strasbourg we went to Basle, reaching there 
the border of Switzerland. Another day's journey and 
we were at Geneva. This was made partly by rail 
and partly by steamers. On this route were railway 
carriages — they never call them cars in England, or on 
the Continent — constructed after the American style, a 
pleasant change from the small, coach-like apartments 
where half the passengers must ride backwards. You 
enter the English and European rail-carriages at side- 
doors, and are locked in. Your baggage is first 
weighed and checked, on showing your ticket. There 
are three classes, and the fares, except in the third, 
are much higher than with us. This is a delightful 
journey, leading through the charming lakes of Bienne 
and ISTeuchatel. The valleys are green and fertile, the 
slopes of the hills are vine-clad, and the distant moun- 
tains are glorious. On the right, is the Jura range, 
and on the left, the abrupt ridges and snow-glittering 
peaks of the kingly Alps. Occasional glimpses of 
Mont Blanc, at a distance of sixty miles, thrill you 
with delight. Lake Leman's clear and blue waters 
you love to gaze upon. On arriving at your hotel in 
Geneva, you receive a package of letters from home, 



GENEVA DR. MAI. AN OUR PARTY. 



63 



and for awhile you forget all tins grand scenery in 
dear communion with loved ones far away ! 

Geneva is finely situated at the lower end of the 
lake, where, dividing the town, the Rhone resumes its 
rapid flow. A pleasant walk of half an hour on its 
banks brings you to its junction with the Arve. This 
" meeting of the waters " is a place of much interest. 
The Rhone is transparent — the Arve turbid. The two 
currents meet, but for a considerable distance their 
waters utterly refuse to mingle. At length, the resibt- 
ance gives way, and the turbid portion tinctures the 
whole stream. A moral is easily drawn. 

On Sunday I was anxious to see and hear Dr. Merle 
D'Aubigne, but learned that he was out of town. I 
had the satisfaction, however, of hearing Dr. Malan. 
He is a venerable, saintly-looking man, with hoary 
locks, beaming eyes, and a benevolent expression that 
fascinates you at once. I understood little of the ser- 
mon, as he preaches in French ; but his whole manner, 
the tones of his voice, his gestures, and his evident 
sweet Christian spirit, impressed me deeply. He 
came to us as he descended from the pulpit, and in- 
vited us to his room, where we had a brief but de- 
lightful interview with him. It is a pity there are so 
few of his spirit of piety in the city where John Cal- 
vin preached and wrote his great works. 

On the 6th of September, our party of seven, a cler- 
gyman from Massachusetts, his wife and sister, a 
teacher from Rhode Island, a lawyer from California, 
a New York pastor and myself, left Geneva for a tour 
among the Alps. The weather was delightful, aad all 
were in fine spirits. We chartered carriages for Gh& 



64 THE ARVE MONT J5LANC CHAMOUNY. 

mouny, over fifty miles distant, and to whose beautiful 
vale a somewhat long day's journey brought us. It 
lies at the very foot of the monarch-mountain, and in 
entrancing view of magnificent glaciers. Much of the 
way was amid scenery wild and bold enough to excite 
the dullest mind to lively and profound admiration. 
We rode along the valley of the Arve, roaring as it 
rushed on its way, while now on the one hand, and 
then on the other, lofty mountains rose so precipitous 
as almost to overhang our path, and in their naked 
grandeur, exposing the dip and foldings of their strata, 
while at brief intervals silvery cascades came dancing 
down at our feet. At one time we entered a narrow 
gorge between vast wall-like rocky heights, that 
seemed the very gateway of the Alps, and strongly 
reminded me of the famous Notch of our own 
"White Mountains. An hour's stop at St. Martin, gave 
us an opportunity to walk to a bridge in the vicinity, 
where a vision burst upon us, so glorious and entran- 
cing as to leave its impress indelibly upon our minds. 
Mont Blanc was before us in all his kingly proportions 
and perpetual investiture of snow and ice. Full 
twelve miles distant, yet so immense and pearly bril- 
liant, as the sunlight fell upon his snowy robes, he 
seemed to lie within less than an hour's walk. 

It was past nine o'clock when we reached Cham- 
ouny, the latter part of the way being almost a con- 
tinual ascent. But the moon, peering now and then 
above the mountain-tops, shone beautifully in a clear 
sky. A window of my chamber at our hotel afforded 
a fine view of Mont Blanc, and looking from it, I saw 
the moon resting, as it were, for a moment, like a sil- 



THE FLEGERE AND MER DE GLACE. 



65 



ver diadem, on his lofty brow. Beautiful sight! ana 
so absorbed was I with that matchless mountain so 
etherial, heavenly and awe-inspiring, that at earliest 
dawn I was awake and gazing upon it, and repeating 
that glorious poem, Coleridge's Hymn before Sunrise 
in the vale of Chamouny. 

" Hast thou a charm to stay the Morning Star 
In his steep course ? So long he seems to pause 
On thy bald, awful head, sovran Blanc !" 

Our ascent to the Flegere, opposite Mont Blanc, and 
more than 6,000 feet above the sea level, gave us a 
superb view of the grand monarch of mountains, and 
the range in which he stands, together with the Mer 
de Glace, the Glacier du Bossons, and other beautiful 
and glorious ice-torrents that flow slowly down the 
lofty slopes and congeal in the deep ravines, and have 
the appearance of mighty cataracts suddenly frozen 
stiff and stopped in their course. The next ascent was 
on the Mont Blanc side of the vale, to a point, the 
summit of Montanvert, higher than the previous one, 
and from whence we descended a high bank to the 
Mer de Glace, which was spread out before us in all 
its glory. "We could look for many miles along that 
icy sea, winding from its source in everlasting snow, 
to its termination in a green and sunny vale, and 
whose great motionless billows met the eye in long 
succession, and glittered in emerald splendor. We 
walked across its broad uneven surface, the guides 
assisting the ladies, and directing the course of all. 
Frequent fissures or rents in the ice were observed, 
and little wells, in which water stood or trickled down 



66 GLACIEES— MRS. H. B. 6T0WE TETE NOIR. 

to the depths below. A guide remarked that he had 
dropped a line into some of these crevices to the depth 
of 300 feet. The whole mass moves very gradually, 
melting away at the bottom, and pressed down by the 
weight of snow above. Close to the margin of this 
ice-river grow beautiful flowers, a sweet summer 
fringe on the wintery garment of eternal frost. This, 
and many other glaciers I have seen in the Alps — 
gloriously flowing from their sublime sources, as one 
would imagine the "pure river of water of life pro- 
ceeding out of the throne of God " to flow — have often 
reminded me of a grand passage in Coleridge's 
Hymn : 

Ye ice-falls ! ye that from the mountain's brow, 
Adown enormous ravines slope amain — 
Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty Voice, 
And stopped at once amid their maddest plunge ; 
Motionless torrents ! Silent cataracts ! 
Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven 
Beneath the keen full moon ? "Who bade the sun 
Clothe you with rainbows ? "Who, with living flowers 
Of loveliest blue, spread garlands at your feet ? 
God ! let the torrents, like a shout of nations, 
Answer ! and let the ice-plains echo, God ! 

At Chamouny we met several Americans, and 
among them, Prof, and Mrs. Stowe and daughter, of 
Andover, Mass. The day before we left, two or three 
courageous travelers began the perilous and expensive 
ascent of Mont Blanc. 

Our way to Martigny was by the pass of Tete 
Noir ; and its scenery, in variety, beauty, wildness 
and grandeur, is beyond my ability to describe. As 
our path gradually ascended, Mont Blanc seemed to 



MARTIGNY— GRAND ST. BERNARD. 



6T 



follow us as some great presence looming up in awful 
majesty. Our mule-path now wound along the 
shelving edge of tremendous precipices, with snow- 
capped mountain summits far above us, and deep, 
abysmal ravines far beneath us, while across our track 
crystal cascades bounded to the rushing stream below. 
Then a splendid glacier, skirted by a pine grove, 
would burst upon our view ; then a naked mountain- 
pile of rocks would literally overhang our path, which, 
for a short distance, had to be tunneled through the 
bold and precipitous ledge ; then a little island-like 
prominence would rise from the deep gorge surround- 
ing it, and on which would stand a cottage or two, 
with a few patches of cultivated soil ; then in some 
nook within an amphitheater of mountains, would be 
nestled a cluster of rude dwelling-houses, seeming to 
repose in the isolation of a silent and death-like seclu- 
sion. On the one hand a splendid waterfall would 
greet us, and on the other, some marvel of rock, 
or bridge, or chasm, or perilous bend in our path. 
Thus we passed on, hour after hour, till we reached 
the summit of Forclaz ; and then, by a long zig-zag 
descent, amid shadowing trees, we reached Martigny 
after dark. 

The following day we made a considerable journey, 
partly by char, or carriage, and partly on mules, to 
that most interesting spot in these Alpine solitudes, 
the Hospice of Grand St. Bernard. It is one of the 
highest passes in these sublime mountains, its eleva- 
tion being more than eight thousand feet, or half the 
whole height of Mont Blanc. Before we reached it, 
" the shades of night were falling fast," and patches 



68 



A DAT AT THE HOSPICE — DOGS. 



of tsnow and ice lay around us, while the entire 
region, utterly destitute of vegetation, presented an 
aspect of chilling bleakness and dread desolation. Od 
arriving at the Hospice, the sight of such a building 
in such a place — a substantial stone edifice, with com- 
fortable rooms and beds, a good supper, and a fire in 
the parlor — was very grateful. We were kindly re- 
ceived and entertained by the resident monks, who 
lead a self-denying life m chat desolate place for the 
good of others. Often hundreds of travelers are fed 
and lodged daily, and no charges are made. It is 
customary, however, for those who are able, to leave 
a liberal sum for their entertainment. But the great 
majority are poor people, and they give nothing. 
Valuable presents have been sent to the Hospice 
by those who have visited it. Recently a lady sent a 
piano. Who has not heard of the dogs of St. Bernard, 
and their exploits in rescuing travelers benighted and 
overtaken by terrible storms of snow ! I saw half a 
dozen of these noble looking, sagacious and useful 
animals. There is a chapel of considerable size con- 
nected with the main building, and as it was Sunday, 
we attended awhile the service, which consisted of the 
usual forms of the Bomish Church. About two hun- 
dred persons were present. A chime of bells which 
awoke us at five in the morning, calling to early mass, 
sounded very pleasantly in that awfully desolate re- 
gion. There is quite a library at the Hospice, and 
various old Boman relics, including coins and imple- 
ments of war found on this spot, which was once the 
site of a fortress. The Hospice was founded in the 
tenth century by Bernard, who appears to have been 



THE MORGUE — ALBUM — PARTING 



71 



a pious, benevolent man, and was subsequently canon- 
ized. Napoleon, with great difficulty, took his army 
over this pass just before the battle of Marengo. I 
should have alluded to the Morgue, or receptacle for 
the remains of strangers who have died at the Hospice, 
or perished in mountain storms and avalanches. It is 
a low building, near the main edifice ; and as you 
look in through a grated door or window, you see 
standing all around the room, or leaning against its 
walls, grim, ghastly and withered corpses staring at 
you in the twilight gloom of the place. The floor, 
also, is covered with skulls and other human bones. 
These remains are placed here, that they may be 
identified by friends; and if not claimed, they seem 
to be allowed to remain, as in such a high atmosphere 
they wither away without being offensive. Still, one 
does not wish to look at such a spectacle but once. It 
is amusing to look over the register of visitors, and 
read the various sentiments and bits of rhyme which 
many have recorded with their names. The hospi- 
tality of the monks elicits a good share of praise. I 
left these lines : 

As pilgrims found, in days of old, 

The great rock-shade refreshing, sweet, 

So travelers now, from wintery cold, 
Find St. Bernard a blest retreat. 

On returning to Martigny, I was sorry to part with 
Rev. Dr. Gillette, my highly esteemed and agreeable 
traveling associate from the time we left New York 
in June last. His course thence was homeward. 
May he have a pleasant and safe journey ! 

Our next tour was up the valley of the Rhone to 



72 MOONLIGHT DRIVE — BATHS OF LEUK. 

the Baths of Leuk, all the way by carriage. The last 
nine miles, after turning to the left, and entering ano- 
ther valley, through which we ascended to the verge 
of the Gemini pass, were traversed under the pure 
light of a full moon, and amid scenery remarkable for 
its wildness and variety. The beautiful road rapidly 
rises by constant zigzags, and is often on the verge of 
a ravine frightfully deep and precipitous, while per- 
pendicular mountain walls stand in high and awful 
grandeur above. At one place, we cross the rushing 
and roaring stream by a stone-arched bridge more 
than four hundred feet above the water. The mighty 
Alpine summits, back of the valley we had left, 
crowned with perpetual snow, and glittering in the 
soft moonbeams ; and the far tops of the majestic 
rocky battlements before and around us, fringed with 
a snow-border, frilled and flashing in lunar radiance, 
were sufficient to raise to the highest pitch our excite- 
ment and admiration. 

The Baths of Leuk are a curiosity. The water is 
slightly saline, and comes up almost boiling hot from 
volcanic springs. Attached to the hotel where we 
stopped, is a wing containing a large room, in which 
are two contiguous bathing tanks, each sufficient for 
twenty or more persons to bathe together. They adopt 
this social method on account of the length of time 
spent in the bath, which after a few days is eight 
hours daily, four in the morning and four in the 
afternoon. I rose early to witness the first act in the 
daily drama. On entering the room, I saw nearly a 
dozen males in one department, and about as many 
females in the other, all up to their chins in water, 

4 



THE GKEMMI PASS THTJN. 



73 



and all clad in loose woolen robes. Some were enter- 
taining themselves in playing checkers on pieces of 
floating boards, and others reading books and papers, 
or drinking coffee, floating in the same way. Invalids 
are brought a considerable distance, and over these 
precipitous passes, that they may enjoy the benefit of 
the baths. 

As we arrived at the village the previous night, we 
were particularly struck with the vast castellated 
mountain-walls, hemming in the place, and rising 
perpendicularly over two thousand feet. And now in 
ascending the Gemmi pass, we found to our astonish- 
ment that the way wound up this lofty precipice It 
is a fine foot or bridle path, going zigzag up, up, one 
point of the road lying directly above another, and 
circling declivities where the way is sometimes cut in 
solid rock, a sort of groove in the immense perpendic- 
ular wall. One could often stand on the verge of the 
path, and drop a plum-line sixteen hundred feet before 
it would touch below. In such a transit, you are en- 
tirely safe in the path ; but a single step over it, and 
you are lost ! There is a magnificent view from the 
summit. Snow-crowned mountains and Gothic peaks 
are seen, stretching away in long ridges, exposing the 
sources and beds of their glaciers, while green and 
fertile valleys, dotted over with humble Swiss cotta- 
ges, repose in striking contrast beneath. The descent 
on the other side of the Gemmi to Kandersteg is most- 
ly gradual, and through a region of rocky barrenness. 

A pleasant ride of a few hours the next day brings 
you to the beautiful town of Thun, lying at the foot 
of the lake of the same name. Its adjacent grounds 



74 



ENTERLACHEN SWISS LAKES. 



and country seats, or villas, are the most charming I 
have seen in Switzerland. A delightful sail of an hour 
and a half in a little steamer, and you reach the head 
of the lake, and a mile further lies Interlachen, another 
finely-situated town, between two lakes, as its name 
indicates, and at the time we were there honored with 
the presence of the widow of Nicholas, late Emperor 
of Russia. The lakes of Switzerland are as lov r ely and 
romantic as its mountains are grand and stupendous. 
They are beautifully bordered with bold bluffs, or green 
slopes covered with vineyards. Their waters are blue 
and transparent as crystal. "Who, in wandering among 
such scenes does not feel his heart swelling in grateful 
adoration of Him who " girdeth the mountains with 
strength," bids the water gush from the rocks to flow 
abroad in fertilizing rivers, and spreads out the clear 
lakes to reflect the heavens ? 



VI. 



One loves to linger among the mountains and valleys 
of Switzerland, where the magnificent forms of nature 
appear in such boldness, beauty and power. The 
grandeur and glory that crown these exhibitions of 
the Divine majesty and might, almost lead us to forget 
the humble dwellers amidst their shadows. The Swiss 
are a quiet, somewhat intelligent, and apparently 
happy people. They are necessarily shut up in small 
villages or hamlets in the valleys ; and to make the 
most of the little arable soil they have, they often ter- 
race the mountain slopes far up, and plant little 
patches of grain or potatoes in sunny spots amid the 
rocks. Their pasture grounds are quite extensive, and 
are well covered with cattle and goats, which graze on 
the steep declivities ; and as most of them have bells 
dangling from their necks, the silence of those great 
solitudes is thus constantly broken. These bells have 
a peculiarly sweet melody, and those of the churches 
also, all of which have one, and many have a chime, 
and they are quite frequently rung. To keep their 
cattle through the long winter, they gather all the hay 
possible, mowing steep hill-sides where it is difficult 
to stand. I saw them in many places gathering their 
second crop, which was often quite scanty, yet ca^e* 



76 



COTTAGES AND CHARACTERISTICS. 



fully saved. The women apparently do more of this 
out-door work than the men. They learn to swing 
the scythe with grace and strength. I saw many of 
them digging potatoes with huge forks shaped and 
used like hoes. As it is difficult to get about with 
vehicles drawn by cattle or horses on their steep hill- 
sides, most of their harvestings are carried ill on the 
backs of men and women. They have a deep huge 
basket or rack which they strap to their shoulders, and 
it is astonishing to see the immense loads they will 
thus carry, even over long distances. In taking their 
hay from the meadow to the barn, you scarcely see 
the person who carries it, only a great haystack seem- 
ing to walk of itself. 

Some of the Swiss cottages are beautiful, and quite 
ornamented in various ways, and sometimes you will 
see inscriptions or verses on their fronts, carved or 
painted. But generally the houses are very plain, 
often built of hewn logs, and roofed with flat stones, 
or coarse shingles held in their places by frequent rows 
of large stones. It may be that these stones are neces- 
sary to protect the roof and the house itself from the 
terrific winter tempests that no doubt often sweep 
howling through the valleys. The dwelling house and 
the barn are frequently under the same roof ; and for 
protection against storms and avalanches, all the 
buildings of a village stand sometimes as closely 
together as possible. Enter an ordinary cottage, and 
you will not find it over-neat in its appearance, or that 
of its inmates. The latter, however, are quite polite 
and sociable. And this feature of politeness is univer- 
sal in Europe. I wish it was more so in America. 



PRODUCTIONS— SABBATH OBSERVANCE. 77 



Even the little boys gracefully take off their hats and 
bow. It is pleasant to say Bonjour to one you meet, 
and receive such a pleasant return of the salutation. 

All sorts of vegetables seem to grow luxuriantly 
In Switzerland. Potatoes are raised in abundance, 
and some Indian corn. The first Indian corn 1 saw 
was in Germany, near Frankfort. In coming from 
our country, where it is so common, one constantly 
notes its absence, in traveling over the British islands 
and most of the Continent. The people in Europe 
have a way of planting large fields, not with one, but 
various kinds of grain or vegetables, each in long 
narrow strips, a rod wide, perhaps, growing side by 
side, and giving the field at a little distance, with its 
different colors, the appearance of a striped carpet. 
Apples, pears, peaches, plums, and especially grapes, 
are abundant. In Switzerland you everywhere find 
excellent honey, and I might add milk; it is "a land 
flowing with " them. 

The Sabbath seems to be better observed by the 
Swiss than by other Europeans. It was delightful to 
hear the sweet Sabbath bells pealing through the vales, 
and to notice a general abstinence from work, and see 
the peasantry neatly clad, making their way to the 
house of God. "What early associations, and dear 
thoughts of home it awakened ! I could see again 
the old meeting-house of my childhood, the family 
pew, and the earnest man of God, with silver hairs, 
in the little high pulpit. I could see, too, my own 
beloved people assembling in their wonted sanctuary, 
and in spirit be with them. Some of the Cantons of 
Switzerland are Protestant, and in them everything 



78 DTTST-STEEAM — WEtfGERN ALP JtTNGFRAtf. 



wears a better appearance. Whether their Protestant- 
ism is evangelical and spiritual, I had no means of 
definite knowledge. Romanism all over Europe 
reveals itself constantly in images of stone, wood, or 
paint, on churches, dwellings, shops, by the wayside 
and in the fields. You everywhere see crosses, cruci- 
fixes and images of the Yirgin and Child. They are 
supposed to be a protection against pestilence in the 
cities, dangers on the rivers, and blights in the fields. 
It is really painful, and often disgusting, to witness 
such evidences of superstition. 

In resuming the narrative of my Alpine journeys, I 
begin at Interlachen, where it was left. A short car- 
riage drive, passing an old castle where "Manfred" is 
said to have lived, brought us to Lauterbrunnen, where 
the valley narrows to a deep mountain gorge. Here 
is the Staubbach Fall, or Dust Stream, a beautiful 
sight. A small stream falls over a perpendicular 
precipice about nine hundred feet ; but the water 
turns to spray long before it reaches the bottom, and 
in that form falls on the rocks, where it gathers itself 
into a stream again. Here we begin the ascent of the 
Wengern Alp, the ladies on horses, the rest of us on 
foot. As we rise rapidly, the Jungfrau, snow-clad in 
virgin whiteness, presents a majestic and glorious 
form to our view. As we reach a still more elevated 
position on the southern slope, and near the summit of 
the Wengern Alp, we seem to be under the very 
shadow of the Jungfrau, and separated from it only 
by a narrow gorge. Before reaching this point, we 
had heard sounds like the heavy roar of distant artil- 
lery, and knew at once that they were from avalan- 



AVALANCHES — GRINDELWAIB. 



79 



ehes out of sight. From the immense beds of snow 
and ice on this sky-piercing mountain, they frequently 
form and fall. We were anxious to be gratified with 
the sight of one at least. Presently a volley like 
sound broke upon our ears, and looking up the slope 
of the Jungfrau, we saw an immense mass of crushed 
and tumbling ice and snow thundering down to the 
vale beneath — a sight not soon to be forgotten. A 
short time after, we saw another, and heard the distant 
roar and long reverberations of others beyond our 
view. At a distance, these avalanches look small com- 
paratively, but are really of sufficient size and force 
to sweep away whole forests, and villages if found in 
their track. In these ascents, we frequently find a 
peasant, who, for a few centimes, is anxious to blow 
his long wooden "Alpine horn," that we may enjoy 
its numerous and delicate echoes. It commenced 
raining soon after we began to descend, and the mag- 
nificent summits above us were all enveloped in clouds. 
We reached the beautiful village of Grindelwald early 
in the evening. Here we were detained a day by 
unpleasant weather. Two immense glaciers, from 
vast fields of ice and snow above, come down the 
ravines between three immense and w T ildly-grand 
mountains that here abruptly terminate the valley on 
the south, in which Grindelwald is nestled. One of 
these glaciers descends to a point below the level of 
the village. I found time between the intervals of 
rain to walk to this glacier and get upon its icy crest, 
by climbing a little way up the Mettenberg or middle 
mountain. The names of the other mountains are 
Eigher, on the right, and Wetterhorn on the left. 



80 



GREAT SCHEIDECK — STORM REICHENBACH. 



From my position on the glacier, I bad a most charm- 
ing view of the village, while the three giant moun- 
tains seemed more rugged and awfully sublime, con- 
templated under their very shadows. 

We next made the pass of the Great Scheideck, all 
taking horses but myself. Having the physical 
strength which is invigorated by the effort, I prefer 
walking over these grand mountains, with my thick- 
soled shoes, and Alpenstock, or baton, pointed with 
iron at one end, and tipped with the chamois-horn at 
the other. After climbing one of the most difficult 
and lofty summits, and where the views are scarcely 
surpassed in their bold and stupendous magnificence, 
we found ourselves, and all about us, enveloped in a 
storm of rain and snow. Occasionally the clouds 
would part, and disclose a mountain-summit or spire- 
like peak that seemed to hang from the sky, and so 
near to us as almost to lean over our path. In our 
descent, we passed some fine waterfalls, and one near 
Keichenbach really splendid, and though of greater 
volume, reminded me at once of the Minnehaha in 
Minnesota. We reached Myringen after journeying 
eight or nine hours, and were glad to find a comfort- 
able hotel and a good fire. 

At this point, all of our party, except Rev. Mr. 
Child and myself, took a nearer course to Lucerne, 
while we were anxious for further mountain excur- 
sions. Parting, with good wishes for each other's 
health and pleasure, we took our pedestrian way 
toward the Grimsel, our guide carrying what 
little baggage we had with us. Soon we entered a 
beautiful and nearly circular valley about half a mile 



A HAPPY Y ALLEY — HANDEK — GKIMSEL. 81 

in diameter, and completely hemmed in by mountain 
walls, the only outlet, breaking the lofty barriers, be- 
ing a narrow rift in the rocks for a little stream to 
flow through. The soil is rich, perfectly level, and 
was, no doubt, once the bed of a lake. We passed 
numerous peasants, who seemed to be happy, working 
in the open air. In stopping to play with some little 
children, their mother made us understand that their 
father was killed by an avalanche last winter. Our 
guide told us he was near him at the time, and when 
we arrived at the place, he pointed out the precise spot 
where the sad event occurred. It was a desolate 
region near the Hospice of the Grimsel. Our path 
was through a region up the valley of the Aar, wild 
and desolate, the precipitous sides of the lofty granite 
mountains having a peculiarly smooth and worn 
appearance, as if raging torrents or mighty glaciers 
had rolled or ground over them for ages. Prof. Agas- 
siz, I believe, accounts for their slippery look in this 
way. He has traversed these regions, and his name 
we observed, cut in one of these smooth rocks by the 
path. The imagination often goes back to the time 
when these " mountains were brought forth," and tries 
to picture the wild commotions and the terrific dis- 
plays of nature's elements and forces amid the awful 
solitudes of that far-off epoch. At Handek we saw 
one of the finest waterfalls in Europe. Two streams, 
joining from different directions, flow over an im- 
mense precipice in separate columns at the top, but 
unite their waters into one foaming torrent about half- 
way down the falls. By a gradual ascent of some 
twenty miles, with snow-clad summits around us, we 
4 



82 KHOttE GLACIER FtTRCA — ANDERMATT. 



reached the Grimsel Hospice, situated some 7000 feet 
above the sea, in about as desolate and dreary a place 
as can be imagined. 

The next morning, after ascending a thousand feet 
higher, we began to descend. Snow and ice were all 
about us, and we encountered several men out break- 
ing a path in the fresh-fallen or drifted snow. Amid 
the grand views of this region, we soon got sight of 
the Rhone Glacier, one of the finest in all the Alps. 
The Rhone takes its rise here, and surely no river 
could have a sublimer birth-plaae or more gorgeous 
cradle. We drank at the place where it issues from 
a cavern in the glacier, and leaped over the infant 
stream; and then climbing upon the glacier, we 
walked full three miles on its rough icy surface, often 
jumping over crevices of immense depth. Far above 
us, where the ice-torrent flows over from unseen 
sources beyond, it looks as one standing below Niaga- 
ra might imagine that to look, if it were suddenly fro- 
zen and stopped in its course. Leaving the glacier, 
we made a long ascent amid pasture-slopes, covered 
with cattle and goats, till we reached the Furca, a 
summit affording magnificent Alpine views in all 
directions. Descending in the valley of the Reuss, and 
passing the St. Gothard on our right, we arrived, early 
in the evening at Andermatt, situated on the St. Go- 
thard pass to Italy. 

We bad a fine drive from Andermatt to Lake 
Lucerne. The way led down the valley of the roaring 
Reuss, and amid scenery, fo^* wild picturesqueness and 
astonishing sublimity, equal to anything I have seen. 
This particularly applies to a place called the DemVa 



HOME OF TELL LAKE LTJCKRNE — WEGGIS. 83 



Bridge, where the lofty and bare mountain- walls, ris- 
ing from the vale, almost touch each other, scarcely 
giving room for the river to pass, which here makes 
several deep plunges down the fearful rocks. The car- 
riage road for three hundred feet is tunneled through 
a portion of the mountain. Avalanches frequently 
thunder down into this valley, and the road in one 
place, for a considerable distance, is walled in and 
over, to protect it from them. Little niches by the way 
are made in the rocks or mountain-slope, into which 
travelers can run from a threatening avalanche. 

About two miles before we reach the lake, we pass 
through Altorf, the home of William Tell. A chapel 
marks his birth-place. In the public square is a statue 
of him and his boy, indicating the spot where he shot 
the apple from his head. Soon after taking the 
steamer at Fluelen, we pass, on the right bank, a little 
chapel ornamented with frescoes, where Tell sprang 
ashore, on escaping from a boat in which Gessler held 
him a prisoner. Another chapel, as you pass from 
Lake Lucerne to Lake Zug, commemorates the spot 
where Tell, concealed in the forest, shot his tyrant foe. 
Near Tell's birth-place we crossed a stream, in which 
he is said to have been drowned in endeavoring to res- 
cue a child from the water. How interesting to visit 
these localities, and to look upon scenes in nature 
long ago familiar to the e} T e of the Swiss patriot, of 
whom we had read in our childhood ! 

Passing some two-thirds of the way down the calm 
blue surface of this rock-framed mirror of nature, the 
most romantic of all the Swiss group of lakes, we react 
Weggis, a little village on the right bank, and at the 



84 



ASCENT OF THE KIGI — A STORM. 



foot of the Rigi, a sort of isolated mountain, about the 
height of our Mt. Washington, and perhaps ascended 
by more persons than any other Alpine summit 
attracts. Views from its top are wide and various, 
and its sunsets and sunrises are said often to be glo- 
rious as the gates of heaven. We had reserved this 
mountain to the last, and anticipated much in its 
ascent. It was now a beautiful day, and we lost no 
time, it being already three o'clock in the afternoon, 
in climbing up its steep nine-mile path, which I 
accomplished on foot under a hot snn, and reached the 
summit in a drowning perspiration, half an hour 
before sunset, when the golden orb popped behind a 
dense dark cloud, and so went down. Though we lost 
the sunset, we enjoyed a panorama of unparalleled 
beauty and grandeur, embracing endless snow-crowned 
Alps in the distance, upon whose thousand glaciers we 
could look, and at our feet lay a circle of enchanting 
lakes, mirroring the mountains beneath their deep blue 
surface, and fringed around with cities, villages, and 
luxuriant vineyards. Such a scene and moment are 
daguerreotyped forever on the memory. We met the 
rest of our party on the Rigi, and hoped for a good 
sunrise. But the starlight of evening gave place to a 
rain-storm and furious wind that fairly shook the 
mountain, and made our hotel tremble like a leaf. It 
was long after sunrise before the storm abated, and the 
clouds that enveloped us withdrew. Visitors there 
are liable to such disappointments, and happy is he who 
can enjoy even a tempest as I did. A luckless tourist 
has thus recorded his experience : 



A PREDICAMENT MOUNT PILATTJS LUCERNE. 85 



44 Nine weary uphill miles we sped, 

The setting sun to see ; 
Sulky and grim he went to bed, 

Sulky and grim went we. 
Seven sleepless hours we tossed, and then, 

The rising sun to see, 
Sulky and grim we rose again, 

Sulky and grim rose he." 

It was quite late before I rose that morning. I had 
taken but one suit of clothes and a little extra linen 
for my pedestrian tours in the Alps. I found to my 
surprise that my outside garments, drenched with per- 
spiration in ascending the Rigi, had not seemed to dry 
at all through the night, and as there was no bell in 
the room, I waited for some one to appear. At length 
a chambermaid popped her head through the door, but 
vanished instantly. An hour after, one of our party 
came to inquire for me. He called a servant and had 
my clothes taken to the kitchen. They came back in 
an hour, but alas, only one side of them had felt the 
fire. They were sent down again, and it was full 
another hour, before I could appear at breakfast, 
which answered for dinner as well. 

We descended that afternoon, and soon readied 
Lucerne by steamer, Mount Pilatus looming up grandly 
on our left. There is an old tradition that Pilate, ban- 
ished from Judea to Gaul, wandered conscience- 
stricken, till he ended his life by throwing himself into 
a lake on the top of this mountain, and hence its 
name. 

Lucerne is an interesting town, having an old high 
wall in its rear, and a splendid monument to the 



86 



ZURICH — CONSTANCE JOHN HUSS. 



Swiss Guards at Paris, in 1792, in the form of a dying 
lion endeavoring to preserve an armorial shield. It 
was modeled by Thorwaldsen, and the figure, twenty- 
eight feet long, is cut in a large wall of solid rock. 
Two long bridges over the Reuss are ornamented 
under the roof by a series of paintings, one repre- 
senting historical scenes, and the other the Dance of 
Death. We took the pleasant route to Zurich, partly 
by lakes and partly by diligences, and found it a very 
lively Paris-like little town, in the midst of a vine- 
growing country. Some of our party went to Berne, 
and others of us to Constance, which we reached by 
railway to Romanshorn, and the remaining distance 
by steamer, on the beautiful Lake of Constance. 
It is an old dilapidated town, with few inhabitants 
compared with its former number. We were spec- 
ially interested in the memorials it contains of John 
Huss. In the Minster or cathedral, we stood on the 
very stone in the floor w r here he stood when his sen- 
tence was delivered to him. We found the house 
where he lodged, and went to the field in the suburbs, 
where he w T as burned at the stake in 1415, and 
Jerome, of Prague, two years after. We visited the 
old Dominican Convent where Huss was imprisoned. 
It is now put to the better use of printing calico. 
We also entered the Kaufhaus, or old hall, where the 
great Council met by which the two martyrs were 
condemned, and two infamous popes deposed and 
another elected. Its sessions continued several years, 
and it embraced delegates, ecclesiastical and civil, 
from all Christendom. We saw the chairs occupied 
by the Emperor and the Pope on that occasion, and 



CHATEAU OF HORTESTSE RHINE FALLS — THE LAKE. $7 

also the body of the car in which John Huss was 
drawn to execution. "When called upon to recant, his 
reply was, " I cannot break my word to my God." 
He met his fate with a fortitude that moved the 
hearts of his executioners and enemies. It is inter- 
esting to look upon these old buildings that have 
stood so long, and were the theater of events that 
transpired before America was known. The great 
and imposing Council soon passed away, but the old 
hall remains ; and he whom they condemned as a 
heretic to death, becomes a sainted martyr, and a 
shining light forever, while scarcely a name of their 
own is preserved from oblivion. 

A few hours' sail down the Rhine brings us to Schaff- 
hausen, passing by the way on onr left the beautiful 
Chateau or country residence of Hortense, the daugh- 
ter of Josephine and mother of the present French 
Emperor, who lived a number of years at this place. 

A pleasant drive of three or four miles, amid lux- 
ariant vineyards, whose white and purple clusters 
tempt the eye, takes us to the Falls of the Rhine, one 
of the largest and most celebrated on the Continent, 
reminding me of the Falls of St. Anthony. We con- 
sidered ourselves well paid for the excursion to see 
them. Having a desire to see Munich and Yienna, I 
changed my purpose to return to Geneva, and so at 
Schaffhausen I left my agreeable associate in travel 
and proceeded toward Bavaria alone. Nearly all of 
one day was spent in returning to Constance, and 
crossing the Lake to Lindau. It was a beautiful day, 
and the lake lay like a dream in a soft haze, so sur- 
rounding it and blending water, land and sky, as 



88 



AUGSBURG — PRIESTS AND RELICS. 



hardly to leave the lines of separation visible, while a 
glorious sunset tinted the glassy surface with golden 
hues. This was a rare picture, inimitable by painter 
or poet, but which the soul's eye admires and retains 
that it may feast on the etherial vision. 

The railway to Augsburg, 150 miles, leads through 
a fertile and well cultivated country, undulating at 
first like New-England, and afterwards level. In the 
distance the Swiss and Tyrolese Alps, in their crowus 
of snow, are prominent objects. The buildings in 
Augsburg have an appearance of ancient and decayed 
splendor. Some of their fronts are frescoed, and in 
the principal streets several bronze fountains, erected 
in the sixteenth century attract attention. The cath- 
edral is a large edifice, in the Byzantine style, and 
besides pictures and statuary, contains a model of the 
Agony in the Garden — an Angel offering a cup to 
Christ, and the three Apostles asleep among palms. 
Adjoining is the Palace where the Augsburg Con- 
fession was presented to Charles Y., in 1635. The 
Kaufhaus, in the Italian style, has some good pain- 
tings and finely-carved ceilings. On entering the St. 
Ulrish and Alfra church, I found a priest exhibiting to 
three other priests apparently the remains or gorg- 
eously appareled skeleton of St. Alfra, and some other 
relics, as bones of saints, which the priests touched 
with their beads, except one, who touched them with 
his finger, and put his finger to his tongue. "What 
virtue or power to work miracles they thus received, 
remains for future experience to decide. The hotel 
of the Three Moors, where I stopped, is more than 
five hundred years old, and contains a room where 



AUGSBUliG TO MUNICH. 



89 



jflie Emperor Charles V. was entertained by Count 
Fugger, whose mansion it once was. There is nothing 
of special interest in the two hours' trip by rail to 
Munich; but Munich itself is full of interest. 



VII. 



lateria— Jrasirm— lata— Stmt. 

Munich, the beautiful capital of Bavaria, is a place 
of many and varied attractions. It has a level situa- 
tion on the " Iser rolling rapidly," and its general 
aspect is very pleasant. It is, perhaps, the most beau- 
tiful city in the German States. Its streets are gener- 
ally broad and clean, its buildings neat and tasteful, 
and some of its suburbs charming. Then it is a great 
center of art, and, to a considerable extent, of science 
and literature. Liebig resides here, who has done 
more to advance Organic Chemistry than any other 
man. Here Steinheil lives, who is regarded by many 
as almost dividing with Prof. Morse the honor of 
inventing the Telegraph. Here is a nourishing Uni- 
versity, presenting a fine array of buildings. The 
Royal Library is a magnificent edifice, and contains 
over 900,000 volumes, and has room for 2,000,000. It 
is the largest library, with one exception, in the world. 
The principal buildings, devoted to paintings and sculp- 
tures, are each over five hundred feet long, and are 
beautiful in design and finish, and some of them are 
outwardly adorned with fine frescoes and statuary. 
The old Pinacothek contains a multitude of pictures 
by several of the old masters, as Raphael, Titian, 
Murillo and Rubens. The new Pinacothek has a 
splendid collection of modern paintings. The Deluge, 



MUNICH ART GALLERIES AND CHURCHES. 91 



A large picture not quite finished when the artist died, 
long detains the observer ; but he will linger still 
longer, and in profo under admiration, before the Des- 
truction of Jerusalem, by Kaulbach, a Munich artist, 
and ranked as the greatest of living painters. Visiting 
his studio one day, I had the pleasure of seeing him. 
This, his masterpiece, is wonderful for the grouping 
and expression of its figures, and the exquisite finish 
of the whole. The Glyptothek is full of fine statuary, 
ancient and modern. Besides these, there are many 
other galleries of art in the city. King Ludwig,. 
notorious for his relations to Lola Montez, spent vast 
sums to adorn his capital. Perhaps the finest bronze 
statues in the world are cast here. I had the pleasure 
of seeing one of Henry Clay, just finished, and ere this 
on its way to ISTew Orleans, in one of whose squares it 
is to stand. It is a perfect and lifelike representation 
of the great Kentucky orator and statesman, as he 
often appeared in addressing the United States Senate. 
Fine models of Washington, (equestrian,) Jefferson, 
and Patrick Henry, were waiting to take the enduring 
form of brass. In a pleasant suburb, and fronting the 
splendid Hall of Fame, stands a colossal statue of 
Bavaria, a bronze female figure and lion. It stands 
on a pedestal of marble forty feet high, and the figure 
itself is sixty feet high. By a spiral staircase within, 
I ascended to the head, in which I was able to stand 
erect. 

Some of the churches of Munich are rich in archi* 
tectural and pictorial embellishments. Such are the 
Basilica, or church of St. Boniface, the Ludwig-Kirche, 
and a Gothic church in the suburbs, whose painted 



92 



MUNICH CEMETERY RUSSIAN BATH. 



windows are a marvel of beautiful coloring. There is 
but one Protestant church in the city. It is a fine, 
large, almost circular edifice, capable of seating about 
two thousand ; and it was well filled on the Sabbath 
I attended service, the congregation not differing in 
appearance, dress, and attention, from one in Kew- 
York or New-England. The singing is congregational 
and good. The sermon is delivered without manu- 
script, and without gestures, in a calm, yet somewhat 
earnest manner. The Queen of Bavaria, who is a 
Protestant, occupied her pew, and seemed to join 
devoutly in the services. Her husband, King Maxim- 
ilian II., is a Romanist. 

In the midst of the Cemetery, in which there are 
some fine monuments, stands a large building contain- 
ing various apartments. Looking through the glass 
windows, or doors rather, I saw several corpses in open 
coffins, and neatly arrayed in ordinary attire. Wires 
connected with bells, were attached to their right 
hands, so that in case life were not extinct, and the 
apparently dead should revive, the bells might be 
rung, and aid summoned. A municipal regulation 
requires that all, with few exceptions, who die in the 
city, shall be brought to this dead-house, and remain 
about twenty -four hours. 

Having been annoyed for some time with twinges 
of rheumatism, a physician in Munich recommended 
the Russian bath t It needs a brave man to endure it 
the second time. You are ushered into a close seven 
by-nine room, filled with medicated vapor as hot as it 
is possible to bear. You lie down on a bench and dis- 
solve, panting for breath. Soon your attendant comes 



OLB AND NEW FRIENDS GERMAN PEOPLE. 93 



in and rubs you with a brush, pounds you with his 
hand and beats you with a bundle of boughs. After 
fifteen minutes you are taken to another room, and for 
some time stand under a cold and most profuse shower, 
raining upon you like icicles, intermingled with slaps 
from your attendant. Then you are directed to plunge 
head and ears into the open tank before you, and stay 
under water as long as you can hold your breath, mak- 
ing two or three such dives. IsTow you go back to the 
little dark room of hot vapor ; and the whole triple 
process is gone over three times, taking an hour or 
more. I have a sort of passion for bathing, and even 
enjoyed this, finding it so beneficial that I imprudently 
took another too soon, and immediately started on my 
journey. The second bath was terribly severe, and 
that little hot room seemed a perfect purgatory. 

In taking leave of Munich, I must express my great 
obligation to our excellent Consul, Prof. A. Ten Brook, 
for his many, kind and valuable attentions, and my 
thanks to Mr. G. W. Petit, a young and genial artist 
from Philadelphia, who accompanied me through vari- 
ous galleries of art, and to other objects of interest. 
It is pleasant to meet former friends, and make new 
ones in a distant land. 

From such observations as I have been able to make 
in city and country, the Germans appear to be a gen- 
erally intelligent people, who take life easily and 
patiently, and derive from it not a little enjoyment. 
They are industrious, moderate in their movements, 
and social in a high degree. They are devotedly 
attached to their beer and pipe. The glasses or mugs 
of beer that some of them will drink in the course of 



94 



TYROL SALZBURG — MOZART. 



a day, is perfectly astonishing. Stopping at a country 
inn for tea, quite a crowd was gathered before it, sing- 
ing songs, and indulging in their favorite beverage. I 
was ushered into a room where there was quite a party 
of ladies and gentlemen seated round a table in social 
conversation, each taking repeated draughts of beer 
from their glass mugs ; and I was surprised to see how 
often they were emptied and refilled, the women in 
this respect fully equaling the men. They have a cus- 
tom of touching glass to glass before they drink 
What the Germans eat, especially the common people 
costs but little. Living is cheap and so is labor. A 
man or woman who works by the day or month, does 
not get half the wages paid in our country. 

I did not go to Yienna, as I purposed, but took a 
shorter way to Italy through that part of Austria cal- 
led the Tyrol. I made an excursion, however, to Salz- 
burg, situated on a tributary of the Danube, and quite 
distinguished for its surrounding romantic scenery. A 
sort of natural, mountain-like wall, partly environs it ; 
and a fine old castle, standing on a high eminence in 
its midst, reminds one of Edinburgh. But it has 
other attractions. Here Mozart, whose soul seemed 
the essence of music, was bora, and here is his tomb. 
I easily found the house where he lived, and repeatedly 
looked in admiration upon the splendid bronze statue 
of him, which adorns one of the public squares. There 
is a beauty in the face and expression, and whole fig 
ure, indeed, which charms you. I found, also, in St 
Peter's church, a fine monument of Michael Haydn, a 
composer of eminence, and brother of the author of 
the "Creation." Another church has a sweet chime 



KUFSTEIN — A DEEP WELL A CRIMINAL. 



95 



of bells, playing twelve tunes, one each month, and 
6orae of them are Mozart's beautiful compositions. 
But I have a sad recollection of Salzburg, as the place 
where I passed the most miserably wretched night of 
my life. The journey thither had been the loneliest 
of all, and the second night after my arrival I was 
taken suddenly and severely ill, experiencing also a 
complete nervous prostration, the effect of the bath at 
Munich, two days before. Besides, I was entirely 
alone, could converse intelligently with no one, and 
very likely there was not another Protestant in the 
place. How I longed to see a friend ! I left in the 
morning, but it was w T eeks before I fully recovered. 

From Salzburg to Kufsteiu and Innsbruck, the 
course, partly by diligence and partly by railway, lies 
along cultivated fields, pleasant lakes, and majestic 
mountains, the spurs of the Alps. On a high point 
in Kufstein stands an old fortress, now used as a prison. 
I wandered with a guide through a long subterranean 
passage, and came out into a room where there was a 
well two hundred and fifty feet deep, cut through a 
solid rock, and supplied with water from the river 
Inns flowing near. The well w r as made by two crim- 
inals imprisoned for life, who undertook the task on 
condition of being liberated when it should be finished. 
They completed it in seventeen years of incessant 
labor. A noted criminal from Hungary is now con- 
lined there. For twenty f years, with the aid of con- 
federates, he had carried on a system of robbery and 
plunder. His course was to ascertain who had money, 
and by some means extort or secure it. Fie never com- 
mitted highway robbery, nor allowed his associates to 



96 



INNSBRUCK WOUNDED SOLDIERS. 



do it. Nor did he murder his victims. He shot two 
of his associates dead, however, when he detected 
them in the act of highway robbery. He was accus- 
tomed to go from place to place when he pleased, and 
escaped detection till partially betrayed by some of his 
confederates. 

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol, and lies under the 
shadow of lofty Alpine summits, crowned with snow. 
The palace of the Arch- Duke, and the Cathedral, are 
imposing edifices. In the center of the latter, an 
elaborately sculptured marble monument of the Em- 
peror Maximilian is surrounded by black statues of old 
kings, queens, knights and crusaders, clad in their 
quaint drapery and ancient armor. It is a singular 
taste that places such things in a church. 

Beyond this chain of mountains lies Italy, with its 
clear skies and sunny shores, which seem to beckon 
me thither. What various associations of historical, 
classical, and even sacred interest cluster there! 
"What vicissitudes its people have experienced ! What 
struggles for liberty, amid crushing despotisms, they 
have made ! Soldiers and priests — Austria is full of 
them — they swarm in Italy — the curse and blight of 
the people. From the recent battle-fields, thousands 
of wounded soldiers have been brought over the moun- 
tains, and distributed among the different towns, to be 
taken care of by them. It was stated at Innsbruck, 
that as many as thirty thousand had been there, or 
through there. The people were quite dissatisfied 
with this burden, and some were free to condemn 
the late war as unwise, and to express the opinion 
that the Emperor of Austria would be better occu- 



BRENNER PASS IN ITALY— VERONA — VENICE. 97 



pied in endeavoring to develop the resources of 
his country than in trying to enforce his authority 
upon a people who hate it. 

By a tedious diligence conveyance of eighty miles, 
partly by night, over the Tyrolese Alps, by the Bren- 
ner Pass, an old Roman road, and amid scenery often 
wild, bold or picturesque, Botzen, a thriving town in 
the valley of the Adige, is reached ; and then a ride of 
some hours by railway, brings one to the town of Ve- 
rona. In the meantime you go through the village of 
Trient, where the famous Council of Trent was held. 
We are now fairly in Italy, and ancient Roman ruins 
greet us. The great attraction of Verona is its old 
Amphitheater, a building somewhat like the Coliseum, 
at Rome, but in a better state of preservation. It was 
erected about the beginning of the Christian era, and 
the stone seats for the many thousands of spectators, 
and balconies for the nobles, and the opposite entrances 
for the wild beasts and the gladiators, remain as they 
were at first. In entering the vast edifice, and walk- 
ing up its more than forty tiers of seats, rising and en- 
larging one above another, and looking down upon the 
arena, once the scene of wild and terrihle conflicts, the 
imagination could easily reproduce those exciting and 
fearful spectacles, and see among the doomed gladia- 
tors, perchance, some of the early martyrs of our holy 
faith, whose released spirits ascended to heaven amid 
the wild shouts of the unpitying crowd. The tomb of 
Shakspeare's Juliet is said to be at Yerona. 

A railroad brings you to Venice, which once could 
only be entered by boat, as is intimated in tbe lines of 
Rogers : 



98 



CITY OF THE SEA ITS ATTRACTIONS. 



There is a glorious city in the sea. 

The sea is in the broad, the narrow streets, 

Ebbing and flowing ; and the salt seaweed 

Clings to the marble of her palaces. 

No track of men, no footsteps to and fro, 

Lead to her gates. The path lies o'er the sea. 

Invincible ; and from the land we went, 

As to a floating city — steering in, 

And gliding up her streets as in a dream. 

A. unique and wonderful city is Venice, the Queen 
o\ Ihe Adriatic, and having her foundations in the sea. 
H^i* principal streets are canals ; her omnibusses and 
carriages are gondolas. You hear no tramp of horses' 
feet — no sound of rolling wheels. The only horses in 
the city are four of bronze, over the porch of St. Mark's 
Cathedral, and they are about two thousand years old. 
The city is remarkable for its varied history, and 
former wealth and power ; for its numerous and splen- 
did palaces, now tinged with decay; for the multitude 
of its churches, adorned with rich statuary and paint- 
ings ; for its galleries of art, and other and varied at- 
tractions. The masterpieces of Titian and Tintoretto 
are here. The tomb of the former, in one of the 
churches, and opposite to it that of Canova, are admi- 
rable specimens of sculpture. St. Mark s Square is the 
great and brilliant center where everybody goes, for pro- 
menade and for shopping. In the evening a thousand 
lights shine upon you from jeweled windows, and the 
walls of palaces radiant with images of art and beauty. 
You pass crowds chatting while they sip their bever- 
age at Cafes; and you hear Italian songs sung and 
violins played, as organ-grinders discourse their music, 
hoping to get a few soldies or kreutzers from the 



GONDOLAS MDEANO AND LDDO. 



99 



crowd. Before you is St. Mark's Cathedral, blossom- 
ing with domes, minarets, and statues, and wonderful 
for the various mosaics on its outer and inner walls. 
There, too, is the Doge's Palace, with its different halls, 
and beyond it the Bridge of Sighs, leading to the dun- 
geons of the prison. But Venice cannot be adequately 
described. The former splendor of the city, and the 
great events that have there transpired, crowd upon 
one's thoughts, while all that you now behold of the 
place seems like the tomb of its ancient glory. Ex- 
cursions by gondola to islands in the vicinity are 
pleasant. A gondolier, standing at the stern of his 
curious-looking boat, with a single oar, wafts you 
gracefully and rapidly along. At Murano you enter 
the extensive glass-works, where beads for the world 
are made. You are greatly interested in the processes 
of their manufacture, and bring away some specimens. 
You take a longer excursion to Lido, and walk 
across it, and are now beyond the Lagune of Venice, 
and wandering on the beach of the Adriatic, picking 
up shells, and listening to the unceasing music of its 
rolling surfs. As you glide back over the smooth 
waters, and under a transparent sky, Venice seems to 
rise out of the sea before you, and the charming view 
you now obtain of it will remain daguerreotyped on 
your memory as a perpetual pleasure. 

There is a fascination about Venice that makes one 
leave it with reluctance. Its situation in the sea is 
picturesque and unique ; its palaces seem like fading en- 
char .tments ; its various life-phases, ever on exhibition 
in f L Mark's Square, are a magnet of attraction ; the 
dr' im-like excursions by gondola along the narrow 



100 MEETING FRIENDS — DEPARTURE — PADUA. 



passages or in the Grand Canal under the Kialto, one 
likes to repeat ; the glorious panorama of city, sea and 
shore, and distant Alps, from the top of the Campanile, 
or Cathedral tower, is a vision of beauty ; and even 
the flocks of tame pigeons always flying over your 
head, or alighting at your feet, in St. Mark's Piazza, 
win your kindly regard. I had the pleasure of meet- 
ing in Venice Kev. Mr. Child and party, including 
Mr. W S. Greene, whom I had left on the borders ot 
Switzerland three weeks before. 

At length the slow railway toward Milan bore us 
away. Stopping over a train, we spent a few hours 
at Padua, one of the oldest towns in JSTorthern Italy, 
and founded as Virgil says, by Antenor, whose tomb 
we found at a street corner, and bearing an inscription 
in Greek. Within the walls of an old arena, where 
various exhitions were once witnessed by excited 
thousands, we found growing trees of considerable 
size. We looked into a gloomy old hall called the 
Palazzo della Pagione. It is of immense size and its 
roof is said to be the largest unsupported by pillars, in 
the world. Dingy and mystical paintings hang all 
around it and at one end, in front of a bust of Livy, 
stands a colossal wooden horse, constructed about 
four hundred years ago. At the other end is a block 
of black granite, and a kind of altar, where insolvent 
debtors cleared themselves by their exposures to shame 
The interior of the church of St. Antonio is gorg- 
eously decorated with sculptures and paintings. The 
tomb of the saint is in the church, and a number of per- 
sons were clinging to it on their knees, or pressing up 
to touch it, as if they expected saving virtue from the 



MONTEBELLO AND SOLFERINO. 



101 



Contact. Passing a confessional box in another part 
of the church, we saw a young girl pouring her 
confession into the ear of a priest. Striking clocks 
were first made in Padua. Here for a time, at least, 
Petrarch, Livy and Galileo had their homes. The 
last was ten years Professor in the University, and 
from the old Observatory, still standing, he often sur- 
veyed the heavens, and doubtless made some of those 
discoveries that thrilled the world. 

Not long after resuming our journey, we passed 
through a part of Montebello, where a battle in the 
recent war was fought ; and further along the road, 
we got a view of the field of Solferino, the scene of 
the terrible and decisive conflict on the 24th of June, 
1859. Eeturning by this place on the 24th of Oct., 
just four months after the battle, our train received 
quite a number of wounded Austrian officers, appar- 
ently, brought into the cars on couches, and having 
only sufficiently recovered to be able thus to proceed 
toward their homes. 



VIII. 



Plan— I pntua— §olopr— |lamttt— pa. 

It was late in the evening, and raining, when we 
reached Milan. By the dim light of the street lamps 
we got a glimpse of its magnificent Cathedral as we 
passed to our hotel. The next morning found us early 
at its open square, surveying that marvel of architect- 
ural beauty and splendor. It surpasses all other cath- 
edrals we have seen. It is of white marble, grand in 
design, and most elaborate in finish. Its niches are 
filled with statues, and its forest of minarets is covered 
and crowned with them, to the number of thousands. 
You survey the imposing edifice with wonder, and on 
entering it, you are astonished to find equal magnifi- 
cence and decoration ; and 3^011 conclude that in the 
Milan Cathedral the sacred architecture of ages cul- 
minates, and that here is the exuberant flowering of 
all ecclesiastical endeavor to impress or captivate the 
outward sense. Other objects of interest at Milan are 
several of its churches, that of St. Ambrose being very 
old — a row of ancient columns of a Roman temple, 
standing in the center of the city, yet in isolated des- 
olation — the grand Arch of Peace, commenced by 
Napoleon I. — and the celebrated painting, by Leon-, 
ardo da Vinci, of the Last Supper. It was painted on 
the wall of a refectory of an old monastery, and ia 
much injured and defaced by the plaster peeling off, 



AN INCIDENT BIKTH -PLACE OE VlftGlL. 



103 



and the attempts of inferior artists to restore it. But 
you still see in it the work of a master. The head of 
the Saviour, the best preserved, is wonderful in its 
combination of majesty and meekness, and of divine 
authority and human sympathy. The expression of 
that serene, heavenly face is inimitable. The features 
of the Apostles and of Judas, are in admirable harmony 
with the scene represented. 

Returning to Verona on the way to Mantua, as 
the train was leaving one of the stations in the even- 
ing, there was quite a smart jerking of the cars, and 
an outcry toward the rear of the train, as if some acci - 
dent had occurred, and the engineer was desired to 
stop. But the train went on, amidst much agitation 
of the passengers. In the carriage where I sat all 
were Italians but one, and greatly excited. I 
remained calm, and a pleasant old lady, screaming 
" Salvendo ! salvendo !" came and sat beside me, and 
could hardly get quiet till she procured of some one — 
her son perhaps — a little black crucifix, about six 
inches long, which she unrolled from a piece of paper, 
and showed to me with evident satisfaction, and then 
put it in her bosom. I pointed upward, as if to say, 
We should trust in God. Before this, in endeavoring 
to converse with me, she had learned that I was an 
American. 

No one would visit Mantua for anything beautiful 
in or around the town itself. Its situation is low, and 
amidst marshes and stagnant pools. But when we 
think of it as the birth-place of Virgil, and for a time, 
at least, his residence, who that has read the iEneid 
would not be interested in seeing Mantua, and wan- 



104 



BOLOGNA — CROSSING THE APENNINES. 



dering in its precincts, jvhere the immortal bard had 
his rural haunts and home ! A splendid marble shaft 
to his memory, erected by order of isTapoleon L, stands 
in a green and flowery spot in the town. We were 
greatly pleased with this, for we could find nothing 
else, save a street bearing the name of the great poet, 
to remind us that we were near the place of his birth. 

A day by diligence took us on through the heart of 
the country to Parma, crossing on the way the rivers 
Mincio, Oglio and Fo. The last, at Casal Maggiore, 
where we crossed it in a ricketty old ferry-boat, man- 
ned by brigandish-looking fellows, is quite a broad 
stream, with a rapid current. From Parma we went 
by railway to Bologna, and were reminded, as we 
passed through Modena, of the story of Ginevra. We 
were detained nearly two days in Bologna before we 
could secure seats in the diligence to Florence. We 
visited several of its churches and galleries of art. 
The painting by Raphael of Cecilia entranced by the 
music of angels, is very fine. The leaning towers, of 
which we had not heard before, are quite a curiosity. 
Much to our regret, we just missed seeing the noble 
patriot, Garibaldi, who had left the place and the 
hotel where we stopped only a few hours before our 
arrival. 

It was a long and tedious ride to Florence. We 
left Bologna at three o'clock in the morning, and soon 
a rain-storm commenced, and continued through the 
day. Mountain streams often rushed over our path. 
We crossed the Apennines, but they were mostly en- 
veloped in clouds, and the view on every hand was 
obstructed. It was too early for breakfast when we 



KTTKAL ASPECTS — THE PEOPLE EXCITED. 105" 



started, and the drivers, in order to reacli the railway 
in season for the last train to Florence, could not stop 
long enough for a lunch to be obtained ; so we took 
our first meal that day, after nine o'clock in the even- 
ing, at the Hotel New York in Florence. 

I was somewhat disappointed in the rural aspects of 
Italy. It is not that beautiful country my imagination 
had pictured it. The season, it is true, was unfavorable 
for seeing it to the best advantage. We could not ex- 
pect, at the last of October, to observe the freshness 
of spring, the bloom of summer, or the ripened har- 
vests of early autumn. Much of the country had a 
dingy and wretched appearance, like the poor peasants 
and pertinacious beggars you everywhere meet. The 
villages and larger towns scarcely look better. There 
are some pretty cottages and fine villas, but most 
of the houses have a forbidding and untidy appear- 
ance. The people, however, seem capable of better 
things than they possess. They have been long crushed 
with Romanism and oppression. But they are now 
in a state of considerable political excitement. In all 
the large towns, the streets were full of people, who 
seemed to be engaged in conversation about their 
civil affairs. Placards were everywhere posted up> 
declaring that Victor Emanuel is their king. They 
will not be satisfied with anything less than the free- 
dom which Sardinia enjoys.- They are almost unani 
mous against the return of the Grand-Dukes ; and 
should Austria attempt to reinstate them, there would 
be war at once. Yenetia would revolt without 
delay, if she felt able to throw off the Austrian dom- 
ination. We heard the complaint at Venice — Why 
5 



106 PRODUCTIONS FLORENCE PITTI PALACE. 



should we have these soldiers, who cannot speak our 
language, quartered upon us? Many thousands have 
left that Province for the freer atmosphere of adjoin- 
ing States. The Pope, doubtless, fears that his tern, 
poral power will soon pass from him ; and with the 
loss of that, the Papal Church must necessarily be 
weakened. Italy at present is a sort of seething cauh 
dron, and what the issues will be, it is difficult to 
foretell. May her star ascend ! 

On our first entrance into Italy, we saw fields of In- 
dian corn and yellow pumpkins, reminding us of simi- 
lar sights in New-England. Mulberry, chestnut, pear 
and apple trees, are plenteous; and about Florence 
there are olives, figs and pomegranates, with their 
pendant fruits. The climate is much milder than in 
the same latitude with us. Roses are now blooming 
in open gardens. Chestnuts are found everywhere, 
in the market and on the table. They are very much 
larger than ours, and are usually eaten roasted. You 
see women all along the streets, with their charcoal 
fire and pan of roasting chestnuts. They are quite a 
large item in the food of the peasants. The lower 
classes throughout Europe do much of their house or 
shop work, their cooking, and eating and drinking, out 
of doors. 

Florence has a variety of attractions. The streets, 
with a few exceptions, are narrow and unpleasant, fts 
buildings, generally, are not elegant. The muddy 
Arno divides the city. Its environs are beautiful. 
One may walk or ride for hours in the Boboli Gar- 
dens or the Cascine, with delight. Evergreens and 
statues adorn the paths. In the Pitti. Palace you find 



UFFIZI GALLERY- — CHURCHES — POWERS. 10 7 

paintings that have a world-wide fame. The beautifm 
creations of Raphael, especially, including his cele- 
brated Madonna della Seggiola, long detain you in 
rapt admiration. The tables of mosaic are wonderful 
specimens of that art, carried to sach perfection here. 
The Uffizi Gallery is scarcely less attractive. Many 
of its pictures and statues are known the world ovei 
Here is the famous "Venus de Medici, so exquisite and 
graceful. It is intensely interesting to survey these 
works of the old masters and of more recent artists. The 
dome of the Cathedral is more ample than that of St. 
Peter's at Rome, and was greatly admired by Michael 
Angelo. Two of the bronze doors of the Baptistery, 
covered with exquisite bas-reliefs, occupied the artist 
forty years. The church of Santa Croce, the West 
minster Abbey of Florence, contains the remains of 
Michael Angelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and others, with 
their massive marble monuments, adorned with rich 
and emblematic sculptures. A fine cenotaph of Dante, 
who lived in Florence, but died in Ravenna, stands 
with them. The church of San Lorenzo, and the 
Medicean Chapel connected with it, contain the re- 
mains, tombs and cenotaphs of the celebrated Meclici 
family. The chapel alone cost $17,000,000 and is yet 
unfinished. Its interior walls are of variegated marbles 
and precious stones, and its dome is covered with 
splendid frescoes. It is a monument of folly. 

"We passed an hour very pleasantly in the studio of 
our countryman, Hiram Powers. We found him 
exceedingly agreeable and entertaining ; and the 
specimens from his chisel, including a bust of Franklin 
and Proserpine, and a full length figure, California, 



108 FLORENCE PROTESTANT SERVICES. 



which he kindly showed us, are certainly among the 
finest sculptures we have ever seen. 

It is pleasant to turn away from decorated, churches, 
where unintelligible mummeries are being constantly 
repeated, and enter a humbler place of Protestant 
worship, and listen to the simple preaching of the 
Gospel of Christ. There are two such places of wor- 
ship in this city, at both of which we attended on 
the Sabbath. One is an English Episcopal church, 
and the other a Scotch Presbyterian. They both have 
excellent evangelical chaplains. Happy will it be for 
Italy when the day shall come that the Gospel, in its 
purity and power, is preached to her people, and prac- 
ticed in their lives. Heaven speed that day, and it 
seems to be at hand. 

While taking tea with the Scotch Presbyterian 
minister, the Rev. J. R. McDougal, at his invitation 
and residence, he gave an interesting account of an 
evangelical religious movement now in progress in 
Florence, and extending to adjacent localities. In the 
Revolution in 1848, some copies of the Bible came 
into circulation, and were eagerly read by persons who 
had obtained the idea that the progress of liberty was 
identified with that book. A number were thus made 
wise unto salvation, and they took measures to diffuse 
the truth more widely. Among these was the Madai 
family, whose imprisonment excited so much interest 
in our country. That family lived in apartments 
adjoining the one in which I obtained these facts. 
Converts increased, and Bibles were multiplied. 
The priests were alarmed, and the civil authority was 
invoked to stop the movement. Numbers were arrest- 



A SINGULAR PEISONEK FIESOLE. 



109 



ed and imprisoned for propagating the evangelical 
faith. On one occasion, the authorities found a large 
number of Bibles, and apprehended them and put them 
in prison. The people, hearing of this, were curious 
to know what sort of a book it was that was thus 
treated. They flocked to the prison to see copies of 
it; and the keeper, perceiving an opportunity to turn 
the matter to his own account, sold a good many 
copies to those who w T ere anxious to buy the singulai 
prisoner. So the Word of God was not bound, but 
had free course, and was glorified in securing further 
triumphs. From that day to this, the good work has 
been extending. Regular religious meetings are held, 
in a quiet way, in various places, conducted by con- 
verted Italians, much in the manner of our conference 
meetings, with reading of the Word of God, prayer 
and singing. Bibles, tracts, and religious books, are 
circulated. I have seen several of these publications 
and among them a translation of the "Philosophy of 
the Plan of Salvation," a work which thoughtful 
Italians read with much interest. Every year some 
are arrested and imprisoned, but the number of such 
cases is diminishing, and true converts are increasing. 
This is certainly an interesting and hopeful move- 
ment. 

I made several delightful excursions among the en- 
virons of Florence / and to the summits of the hills 
that look down upon the beautiful vale of the Arno, in 
which it is situated. Fiesole is about five miles to the 
north, a city older than the Tuscan capital, and a 
thousand feet above it. Portions of old Roman ruins 
are still visible. But I was vastly more pleased with 



110 



FLORENCE GALILEo's OBSERVATORY. 



an excursion in tlie opposite direction, to a high emin- 
ence, surmounted with a tower, called Galileo's Obser- 
vatory. Part of the building was over a broad, fine 
road, between lofty cypresses, interspersed with oak 
and larch, and which leads to an imperial palace, 
where, a few nights before, a grand ball had been 
given by the city authorities and attended by about 
three thousand guests. Strangers were not numerous, 
and the times rather dull in Florence ; and this ball 
was, no doubt, mainly designed for the benefit of the 
shopkeepers, who furnished the materials of dress and 
display. Even kings and emperors are often obliged to 
resort to similar expedients, to allay the complaints and 
retain the favor of their subjects. 

From the top of Galileo's Tower one gets an entranc- 
ing view of the city and adjacent country. The val- 
ley for many miles, with the winding course of the 
Arno, is spread out like a map. Ranges of Apennine 
hills on the east hide Vallambrosa from view. We 
went to the villa of Galileo, near by, where that phil- 
osopher lived and died, and where Milton, during his 
visit to Italy, held interviews with him. From this 
Observatory, it is said, Galileo made those discoveries, in 
regard to the moon, to which Milton, in the Paradise 
Lost, alludes, when saying that the shield of Satan 

" Hung o'er his shoulders like the moon, whose orb 
Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views 
At evening from the top of Fiesole, 
Or in Yaldarno, to descry new lands, 
Rivers or mountains, in her spotty globe.'* 

Entering the Baptistery one day, which is a large 
octagon or circular edifice, near the Cathedral, I wit- 



A BAPTISM AND FUNERAL. 



Ill 



Hissed the ceremony of baptizing an infant. The little, 
welt attired subject, who had evidently not yet seen 
two Sabbaths, was brought into the building by a 
woman, accompanied by a young man, when two 
priests made their appearance, and these seemed to 
be all the persons any way concerned in the matter. 
One of the priests took the child, while the other stood 
by, holding a huge lighted wax candle, three or four 
feet long. The officiating priest breathed in the baby's 
face, and made the sign of the cross on its forehead 
and breast, and gave it to the arms of the young man, 
and proceeded to read something from a book, while 
the other priest frequently responded, Amen. This 
over, the first priest took from a little box a pinch of 
salt, and put it into the mouth of the child. Then 
they all went to the font, the young man repeating 
something; as he carried the infant. The officiating 
priest now touched his own tongue, and then the 
baby's face, with his ringer. Then pulling back the 
child's cap, he held the little creature upright over the 
font, crossed it, rubbed some oil on its neck and fore- 
head, and bending its head downward, he dipped up a 
dish of water, and poured it liberally on its head. This 
caused the child to cry, and that was the end of the 
ceremony. 

Returning one evening from a pleasant social circle 
of Americans, for the most part, I encountered on one of 
the the numerous bridges of the Arno,a singular funeral 
procession. The coffin, on a bier, and draped in black, 
was borne on the shoulders of several men, strangely 
appareled in long dark robes and ghastly-looking 
masks. They were preceded and followed by a num.- 



112 



FLORENCE BENEFITS OF TEAVEL. 



ber of others in similar costume, and carrying elevated 
torches. 

Florence improves upon acquaintance. I first 
entered it at evening, in a violent rain, and for a week 
or two the weather was anything but pleasant or mild, 
making everything seem cheerless, and my first im- 
pressions not very agreeable. But when the weather 
became settled, the skies delightfully clear, and the 
air pure and invigorating, things wore a new and more 
pleasing face. New and congenial acquaintances were 
formed, and repeated visits to the wonderful creations 
of art and genius rendered my stay in the city increas- 
ingly attractive ; while the streets and buildings 
assumed an improved appearance, and the muddy 
Arno sometimes really had a transparent aspect, espe- 
cially under a glorious Italian sunset, or the glitter of 
a thousand lamps that line its borders at night. 

Travel brings pleasures and benefits, and a kind of 
education, that can be acquired in no other way 
Opportunities are constantly afforded for observing 
the grand and beautiful works, both of nature and art, 
as well as for studying the character and habits of dif- 
ferent peoples. No day need pass without something 
of good or profit seen, learned, or experienced. Even 
the annoyances that one meets constantly — the discom. 
forts and perplexities of journeying where passports, 
custom-houses, and various hungry officials detain and 
tax you ; the swarm of beggars, including the lame, 
the blind, and the diseased, as well as the destitute 
and the lazy, who beset you like a pack of ravenous 
wolves; the ignorance and degradation that surround 
you ; the blind and puerile superstitions of the people, 



CONTRASTS IN ITALY. 



113 



amid magnificent temples apparently devoted to God's 
service ; the great poverty of lands rich in natural 
capabilities and varied beauties — all these things make 
you grateful for the land of your birth, and lead you 
to prize more highly its people, its government, its 
religion, and all its good institutions. 

Here, and in fact throughout Italy, great contrasts 
are continually meeting the eye. Go into the galleries 
of painting and sculpture, enter many of the cathe- 
drals, churches, palaces, and other public or private 
buildings, and often as you walk along some street or 
open piazza, you behold beautiful and astonishing 
creations of art and skill — pictures and statues that 
have a world-wide fame, and in the contemplation of 
which you are lost in admiration and delight ; and 
then as you turn away from these, and look upon the 
realities of life around you, you see sad and disgusting 
evidences of mental darkness, wretchedness, and low 
groveling tastes and habits. Go out into the country 
and you are struck often with the beauty and richness 
of valleys, hill-sides, and table-lands ; you see numer- 
ous evergreen trees, cultivated and trained in gardenSj 
whose walks, arches, bowers, and fountains are like 
the enchantments of Aladdin's Lamp ; you see a flour- 
ishing growth of olives, oranges, figs and pomegran- 
ates ; and though on the verge of winter, and in sight 
of snow on mountain peaks in the horizon, whose cool 
breath you feel, you are greeted by the way with 
beautiful hedges of roses, in bud and bloom, as they 
adorn the grounds of some villa, or hang over the high 
walls by the road-side. And while some of the more 
pretending villas, or humbler cottages, please you with 

5* 



114 FLORENCE TO PISA— THE BAPTISTERY. 



their beauty and neatness, you will not fail to observe 
many a filthy and miserable habitation, with inmates 
to correspond ; ragged women at work in the fields ; 
donkeys and cows yoked together, with plows, carts 
and other agricultural implements of rude and awk- 
ward construction. Hands in the city are making 
tables and jewelry of exquisite mosaics that cause you 
to wonder at the perfection of human ingenuity ; 
and hands in the country are using various uten- 
sils of tillage so clumsy and ungainly that a Yan- 
kee would hardly deem them fit for fire-wood or 
old iron. 

On the afternoon of the 25th of November, we left 
Florence for Pisa, where we arrived by railway, just 
at evening, and from an elevated window of our hotel, 
first got a glimpse of the Leaning Tower. Familiar 
from childhood with the pictures and accounts of that 
remarkable structure, could it be that my eyes were 
now really beholding it ? In the morning we hastened 
to the spot where it stands in connection with three 
other objects of unusual interest — the Baptistery, the 
Campo Santa, and the Cathedral. The Baptistery, 
erected in the twelfth century is a beautiful building 
of white marble, circular and dome-like, relieved in 
the exterior by fine Corinthian columns. The interior 
is mostly marble also, and exquisitely finished. In the 
center is a large font, fourteen feet in its longest diam- 
eter, adapted and probably used for the immersion of 
candidates for baptism. The large room rising into 
the high dome, afforded delightful echoes ; and when 
a few of us sang a part of the hymn, — 

u My heavenly home is bright and fair, 
Nor Dain nor death shall enter there" — 



CAMPO SANTA CATHEDRAL — LEANING TOWER. 115 

the fullness and prolongation of the sounds were organ- 
like and charming. The Campo Santa is a cemetery ? 
an immense oblong structure, with cloisters extending 
around it, and the open space within filled with earth, 
to the amount of fifty-three ship loads, brought from 
Calvaiy. There are numerous monuments in the clois- 
ters, and some striking frescoes. One of the latter, 
representing the Last Judgment, has a touch of satire, 
as well as truth, no doubt ; for the artist has mixed 
kings and queens and monks with the wicked. The 
Cathedral is spacious and splendid. "The doors are of 
bronze, the roof is of carved and gilded wood, the 
floor of marble white and yellow ; statues of exquisite 
workmanship adorn the walls, while a dim light spreads 
through the painted windows, and clothes with a mel- 
lowing softness, the stupendous columns." But I was in- 
terested most of all in the Campanile or Leaning Tower. 
It is a beautiful marble structure, fifty-three feet in 
diameter at the ba^e, and about one hundred and 
eighty feet high, inclining toward the south more than 
thirteen feet from the perpendicular. My first view 
of the Mediterranean was from its top ; and what 
thoughts such a sight awakens? The waters of that 
sea lave the shores of Palestine, and are linked with 
the stirring events of ancient and modern history. A 
prophet was once cast into it, and an apostle wrecked 
upon it. 

At Leghorn, a considerable commercial town, we 
took steamer for Civita Yecchia, the port of the Papal 
States, where we arrived in about twelve hours ; and 
after many annoyances and taxes of patience and purse, 
we were on the railway for Pome. 



116 



A RIDE — ROME IN VIEW. 



A ride of three hours, at the slow rate of Italian 
railroads, and through a country uninteresting in 
appearance, brought us in sight of the walls and 
towers of the " Eternal City," and we were strain- 
ing our eyes to catch a glimpse of the grand Tome 
of St. Peter's. 



IX. 



§0inf— Its €\\m\m—Z\t Mitmx— %Ml 

Rome! How interesting tlie place! How suggest- 
ive the word ! What a train of associations it 
awakens ! The records of the past are unrolled; great 
characters in history stand before us ; and events that 
filled the world with their grandeur and significance 
seem to be transpiring again. 'Who has not desired 
to see Rome! What student of classical literature, 
what lover of eloquence and poetry, what admirer of 
art, and mental power in its various exhibitions, has 
not longed to visit Rome, and wander amid the ruins 
of its former greatness and glory ? — to look upon the 
Seven Hills where the city of the Caesars was en- 
throned — to walk beneath the massive arches where 
they led their triumphant processions — to muse amid 
the broken columns of the Forum, where Cicero and 
other orators swayed assembled throngs — tu linger 
under the shadow of the Coliseum, and think of the 
exciting scenes it once witnessed — and to trace the 
footsteps of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, who, 
prisoner though he was, wielded an influence under 
God that was felt through the city, and pervaded even 
the Imperial Palace ! Who has not had a curiosity at 
least to look upon the sources of that mighty religious 
organism and power, that have so long exercised a tre- 



120 



HOME ITS CHURCHES. 



mendous influeuce on human destiny, and still retain so 
much of their old energy, superstition and sway ? The 
dream of years has at length been realized, and what 
only was known by the hearing of the ear, is now 
familiarized by the seeing of the eye. On the 28th of 
[November, I entered the gate of the so-called Eternal 
City. But how, in these brief and hasty waf notes, 
can I adequately describe what I have observed of 
ancient and modern Rome ? 

There are about as many churches in Rome as there 
are days in a year. The majority of them are very 
ordinary structures ; and sometimes, when the exterior 
is quite plain and even forbidding, you will find the 
interior elaborately ornate and gorgeous. There is bnt 
one Gothic church in Rome, and very few of these 
edifices have painted windows. The principal materi- 
als of ornamentation are marbles of various colors, and 
other rare stones, statuary, paintings, silver and gild- 
ing. You will sometimes find nearly the whole interior 
of a church, its floor, its columns, its walls, its altars 
and chapels, gleaming with polished and exquisitely 
carved and finished marbles of almost every hue. The 
niches are filled with statues and pictures — monuments 
of Popes, Cardinals, Bishops and Saints, and paintings 
of Scripture scenes, in which dignitaries of the Church 
are often strangely blended ; while crucifixes and Ma- 
donnas everywhere abound. Frequently most horrid 
scenes of martyrdom, agony and blood are represented. 
Everything that can affect the senses, and through 
them move the passions, finds a place in these ecclesi- 
astical decorations and emblems. 

One of the first churches the stranger visits, is that 



8T. peter's — Raphael's house. 



121 



great and wonderful edifice, St. Peter's, whose magni- 
ficent dome reflects the unrivaled genius of Michael 
Angelo. Its construction occupied centuries, and the 
most renowned architects lavished their skill upon it. 
A great part of the incredible amount of money ex- 
pended upon it, was realized from the sale of indul- 
gences. In going to St. Peter's, a friend pointed out 
the house where Raphael, the prince of painters, lived, 
[t is in a narrow, mean and dirty street, and the house 
itself is only worthy of its location. Looking up its 
dingy front, I saw a clothes-line, well laden with nether 
and other garments, hanging along its windows, and 
partially intercepting the view. After crossing the 
muddy Tiber by the Bridge of St. Angelo, amid colos- 
sal marble statues, with the immense circular Tomb ot 
Hadrian, now a fortress and prison, rising before you, 
and passing some distance along a narrow, filthy 
street, lined with huckster-shops, you come to the 
large, open, oval Piazza of St. Peter's. On either 
hand is a magnificent range of colonnades or porticoes, 
with four rows of massive round pillars, over sixty 
feet high, while along the top are standing some two 
hundred statues, which the imagination might easily 
transform into celestial visitants come to watch the 
trains of earthly worshipers. Before you is a large 
Egyptian obelisk, and on each side, beautiful fountains 
throwing their crystal jets and spray into the air, and 
which often have a halo of rainbows about them. Be- 
yond these, rises the imposing facade of the great edi- 
fice, and crowned with gigantic statues of the twelve 
Apostles. This view excites your profound admira- 
tion, and though the enclosure embraces about ten 



122 kome — st. peter's — interior — roof and ball. 

acres, there is such harmony of outline and propor 
tion, that it does not seem half so large. 

You enter this church, as you do others at Rome, 
Ly lifting a heavy leather curtain, and then your eyes 
meet a sight, for vastness and majesty, richness and 
grandeur, afforded by no other religious temple in the 
world. Amplitude and height, massiveness and splen- 
dor, characterize the interior. Look up into the sub- 
lime dome, and you do not wonder that Michael 
Angelo called it "a firmament of marble." The 
pictures are all in mosaic, and are finely wrought. 
Amidst all this display of rich ornamentation, you see 
much that you deem neither agreeable nor in good 
taste. A double flight of stairs leads down to the 
reputed tomb of Peter, above and around which over 
a hundred lights are constantly burning. ]STear by, 
elevated a few feet above the floor of the church, is a 
black statue of the Apostle, before which you see 
persons come and kneel, and rise and kiss the great 
toe of the projecting foot, which is considerably short- 
ened by this unceasing labial attrition. 

On my next visit to St. Peter's, I ascended to the 
roof, which is quite a plateau, or place containing 
dwellings and families living there; and then to the 
base of the dome, and then to near its crown, from 
whence you look down the frightful distance to the 
floor of the church, where men and women, and pro- 
cessions of priests seem but creeping pigmies. Finally 
I went to the very top, and squeezed through the 
narrow entrance into the ball ! Pine views of the 
city and the Campagna might have been had, but for 



st. paul's — st. john lateran — holy staircase. 123 



the smallness of the apertures opening to the world 
without. 

The interior of the church of St. Paul, outside the 
walls of the city, is in some respects quite equal, if 
not superior, to that of St. Peter's. The splendid mon- 
olithic columns, the rich altars of malachite, the costly 
portraits in mosaic of the successive Popes, and other 
exquisite pictures, excite your wondering gaze. The 
St. John Lateran, is scarcely inferior in the rich and 
costly finish of its architecture and embellishment. 
Its cloisters contain relics which an attending priest 
is ready to exhibit. He shows the stone well-curb, by 
which Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman; 
the two halves of a column rent at our Lord's crucifix- 
ion ; the porphyry table on which His raiment was 
divided ; and that also on which He and His disciples 
partook of the Last Supper. He shows a stone slab, 
too, with a hole in it, and says that a priest once, 
doubting the Peal Presence, dropped the wafer, and it 
went miraculously through the table ! So, I suppose, 
he was cured of his unbelief. Near this church is a 
building, called the Baptistery, in the center of which 
is a porphyry font, sufficiently large for immersion, in 
which Constantine was baptized, as it is said. 

In this vicinity is the church of the Holy Staircase. 
The Santa Scala, or Staircase, consists of twenty-eight 
marble steps, covered with boards, and said to belong 
to the house of Pilate; and not only that, but they 
are affirmed to be the very stairs on which our Lord 
descended from the Judgment Hall. Hence great 
virtue is attached to them, and to go up them on one's 
knees, and pay a fee for it, produces great blessings to 



124 home — paul's hired house — mamertine prison. 

the devotee here and hereafter. So an attending priest 
assured us, though we did not make the trial. Others, 
however, were continually plodding up, and kissing 
the stairs as they proceeded. It was on these stairs, I 
think, that Luther's eyes were measurably opened to 
see the absurdities of Romanism. 

It is quite common in Catholic countries to erect a 
church over some spot that, by tradition or otherwise, 
is regarded as sacred. St. Peter's occupies the site 
where the Apostle, whose name it bears, is said to 
have been buried, though there is no reliable evidence 
that he was ever in Rome at all. The splendid 
Basilica of St. Paul stands without the walls in a low 
and unhealthy location, that it may cover the place 
where the Apostle to the Gentiles is supposed to have 
had his sepulchre. A church on the Corso — St. Maria 
in Yia Latta — is regarded as occupying the site of 
Paul's hired house, where he lived two years in the 
charge of a soldier. You are guided to dark rooms 
under the church, and are shown portions of the old 
house where the Apostle lived ; and the priest points 
to a spring or well which he says was miraculously 
provided, curb and all, so that Paul could there bap- 
tize his converts. A church has been built over the 
old Mamertine Prison, in whose dark dungeons tradi- 
tion says Peter and Paul were confined. It is not 
unlikely that the latter was taken from this place to 
his martyrdom, having first written here the glorious 
words to Timothy: "lam now ready to be offered, 
and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought 
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown 



TASSO's TOMB CEMETERY OF THE CAPUCHINS. 125 



of righteousness, wliich the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but 
unto all them also that love his appearing." "We may 
readily believe that here Jngurtha was starved to 
death, and the companions of Catiline strangled. Here, 
also, in the floor of the prison, we were shown a mira- 
culous fountain, and on the wall a rough bas-relief of 
Peter baptizing the jailer. I suppose it would not be 
4 difficult to find other springs, by making similar exca- 
vations at the foot of the same Capitoline Hill. The 
church of St. Pietro in Yincoli was built to preserve 
the chain with which Peter was bound at Jerusalem. 
I was interested in this church, not on account of this 
relic, but from the fact that here Hildebrand was 
crowned Pope, with the title of Gregory VII. in 1073. 
Here, also, is a magnificent statue of Moses, by Michael 
Angelo, in which the majesty and meekness of Israel's 
lawgiver are wonderfully blended. I went to the 
church of St. Onofrio, on the Janiculum, to see the 
last resting-place of Tasso, the immortal author of 
Jerusalem Delivered. The poet died in Kome in 1595, 
at the age of 51. Kecently a very richly-carved mon- 
ument in marble has been erected to his memory. In 
the church of the Capuchins is Guido's Archangel 
standing on the neck of Lucifer, a remarkable painting. 
The Lucifer is said to be a likeness of a Cardinal, after- 
wards Pope Innocent X., whose criticisms had dis- 
pleased the artist. The grave of Cardinal Barberini, 
by whom this church was built, is marked by this sim- 
ple and singular inscription : Hicjacetpulvis, cinis et 
nihil. Under the church are four rooms, used as a 
cemetery, the earth in them having been brought from 



126 ROME THE VATICAN — TIS GALLERIES. 



Jerusalem. They present the most singular and 
unique appearance imaginable. They are all filled 
with human skeletons and bones, arranged with a taste 
and skill, for beautiful forms and figures, that would 
do honor to an artist. The ceilings and walls are cov- 
ered with bones, so placed as to resemble the most 
beautiful ornaments in plaster. There are festoons of 
these bones, and the chandeliers hanging from the 
ceilings are made of them. Some entire skeletons 
have drapery on them, and on some of the skulls I 
noticed the names of the persons to whom they 
belonged, and the dates of their birth and death. 
When a monk dies, he is buried in the oldest grave, 
from which the skeleton is exhumed, clothed, and 
placed in one of the rooms, where a previous skeleton 
stood or lay, but is now removed, and its bones piled 
up or distributed in the curious manner described. 

Who has not heard of the Vatican, if he has not 
heard its thunders? It is an irregular pile or collec- 
tion of buildings, adjoining St. Peter's on the right, and 
embracing some thousands of rooms and halls. Squads 
of French soldiers are continually standing around the 
entrance, and one generally finds a large number of 
them paraded or being drilled in the square of St. 
Peter's. Several long and broad staircases lead to the 
halls and museums of the Yatican, where are gathered 
and preserved an immense number of works of art. 
The sculpture galleries are very extensive, and you 
range through them in delighted admiration of the 
ancient, interesting, and beautiful or grand productions 
of the chisel. You linger long before such statues as 
the Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere, and wonder at 



CELEBRATED PAINTINGS — QUIEINAL PALACE. 127 



the genius that could invest marble with such elements 
of life, passion and power. You see many busts of per- 
sons distinguished in historical and classical literature, 
and are gratified with a truthful representation of their 
faces and features. Two of the most celebrated pic- 
tures in the world are in the Vatican. The Last Judg- 
ment by Michael Angelo, covers entirely the farther 
wall of the Sistine Chapel. The light is not good, and 
one fails of the profoundest impression this great paint- 
ing is adapted to produce. I was better pleased with 
Raphael's inimitable picture of the Transfiguration. 
It was his last and best w T ork ; and before he had quite 
finished it, he was suddenly cut off by death at the 
early age of thirty-seven. This glorious painting, 
bearing the last and fresh traces of his master-hand, 
was suspended over the couch where the dead body 
of the illustrious artist lay in state, and at his funeral 
it was borne in the train immediately preceding his 
remains. Raphael sleeps in the Pantheon, a grand old 
temple, built before the Christian era, and in a bettei 
state of preservation than any contemporary building 
in Rome. 

The Pope resides in the Vatican, except during four 
months in the summer, when he occupies the Quirinal, 
or Pontifical Palace on Monte Cavallo. Our Consul 
gives Americans permission to visit this palace. It 
has extensive apartments, many of which are adorned 
with fine paintings, tapestries and furniture. The 
adjoining garden is shady with lofty box and cypress, 
relieved with statues and fountains. Iti one part of 
the grounds is an organ played by water, and a large 
number of hidden pipes, which at the will of an at- 



128 ROME SPA DA FESTIVAL IN SISTINE CHAPEL. 



tendant, throw jets of water in all directions, causing 
the visitors to make a hasty retreat to an open build- 
ing at hand. The Pope ought to be satisfied with his 
accommodations ; and yet his head must sometimes 
be uneasy even under the triple crown. From the 
Vatican to the Castle of St. Angelo, formerly 
Hadrian's Tomb, but now a strongly fortified and 
guarded place, there is a walled passage by which, in 
case of disturbance or danger, the Pope may escape 
to the castle for safety. 

There are numerous palaces in Pome, containing 
galleries of paintings and sculptures of more or less 
merit. In the Spada stands the colossal statue of Pom- 
pey, at the base of which the great Julius Caesar was 
assassinated. On one of its legs is a dark spot, said to 
have been made with the blood of the renowned 
victim. 

On the 8th of December occurs the Festival of the 
Immaculate Conception, when the Pope and his Car- 
dinals officiate at the Sistine Chapel in the Yatican. 
In going up the long flight of stairs leading to the 
Yatican, I found a couple of waiters to take my over- 
coat and hat, for which they must be paid a small sum 
in advance. Perceiving I had on a frock coat, they 
undertook to pin back the skirts to make it resemble 
a dress coat; but did it so bunglingly, that though 
the guard at the door let me in, the ushers inside, 
casting significant glances at my wardrobe, would not 
allow me to take a seat with those who were more for- 
tunate in the cut of their coats, but gave me a good 
standing-place among some priests. A gentleman 
immediately behind me, and in the same fix, could not 



THE I»OPE — CARDINALS — AMERICAN COLLEGE. 129 



get in at all. I suppose the Pope's version of a cer- 
tain passage is, God is no respecter of persons, hut he 
is of coat-tails. The ladies were required to dress in 
black, and wore only veils on their heads, of the same 
color. 

The Cardinals came one after another to the number 
of twenty-five or thirty. They ride each in a splendid 
carriage, with gorgeous and glaring equipage, and 
three or four attendants bedizened with livery, while 
they themselves are covered with scarlet and gilt 
robes, which are held up by two or three persons as 
they enter the chapel and go to their seats. The Pope 
enters by a side door in his rich robes and miter, and 
sits on his throne-like elevation covered with a sort of 
silver drapery. Two or three persons stand by him 
continually to take off and put on his big head-cover- 
ing, and to adjust his robes. He is a pleasant-looking 
old man, and when he waved his hand in benedictions 
toward the audience, there was among the faithful 
a general prostration and crossing themselves. The 
services w T ere very uninteresting, consisting of the 
usual turnings and bowings and mummery. One 
priest made a short address in Italian. 

On the iOth I attended the opening of the American 
College in Rome. This institution is designed for the 
education of young men from America for the Romish 
priesthood. A number of such students was present, 
and among them an African. Good music, a spirited 
address in Italian by Cardinal Barnabo, burning in- 
cense, and elevating the Host, with the usual genuflec- 
tions, constituted the exercises. The graduates of this 
college, I suppose, are intended to return to America, 



130 EXCtTKSlON TO TIVOLI — HADEIAn's VILLA. 



to diffuse the leaven of Romanism in our land. We 
must meet them with our own educated and God-sent 
ministry, in the propagation of the pure and blessed 
Gospel of Christ. 

On the preceding day, we made a delightful excur- 
sion to Tivoli, some eighteen miles nearly east from 
Rome. "We passed the massive tomb of Plautius, and 
crossed a considerable stream of a milky hue, and 
filling the air for some distance with a strong odor of 
sulphur. Tivoli is most romantically situated on a 
hill of the Alban group, and we passed an extensive 
olive orchard as we ascended to the village, which in 
itself has few attractions, its houses being forbidding 
and filthy. The old Temple of the Sybil, perched on 
a most commanding site, is a beautiful and interesting 
ruin. We wandered with great delight among the 
declivities, the grottos, and along the waterfalls, 
which constitute the chief charms of the place. We 
looked at the ruins of the Yilla of Msecenas, who was 
the patron and entertainer of Horace. Orators, philo- 
sophers, and poets, were accustomed to make their 
homes or haunts amid the localities of Tivoli. On 
returning we rambled over the extensive ruins of 
Hadrian's Yilla, in a suburb of the village, and won- 
dered at the grandeur of the monarch, when that vast 
field was covered with the architectural glory with 
which he invested the place. We returned under a 
clear mild sky, and the exquisite purple tints of a glo- 
rious sunset faded from the Alban and Sabine hills, 
only to be succeeded by the soft splendors of a full and 
glorious moon, that made our homeward drive most 
charming. 



X. 



Utome— Mimm— €timmk~-€\mtrtm. 

Nothing interests me more than the relics of the past, 
when the Eternal City was in its palmiest days. It is 
impossible to convey the impressions they give of the 
wealth and power of the old Romans. Acres of ruins 
mark the places where stood some of the grandest 
structures on which the sun ever shone. The Palace 
of the Csesars is a plowed field. Half-buried arches 
stand out in their grim desolation, and are overgrown 
with shrubbery and cypress. Where stood the Yilla 
of Maecenas, the Golden House of Nero, and the Baths 
of Titus, is a mass of ruins. A part of the halls and 
chambers have been excavated, and some of the finest 
sculptures and vases in the Yatican were found in 
them. You follow a guide with torches into these 
rooms, and you still see remains of exquisite marbles, 
mosaics and frescoes. The ruins of the Baths of Car- 
acalla are still more ample and stupendous. Those 
of Diocletian were remodeled by Michael Angelo and 
turned into a church, which, out of Rome, would be re- 
garded as a most magnificent edifice, and yet it includes 
only a portion of the old structure. The cloisters of 
this church are extensive and fine, and in its court 
Btand some venerable cypress trees planted by Michael 
Angelo three hundred years ago. In this church we 

6 



132 ROME— FOUNTAINS — CAPITOL — FORUM. 



were shown what were said to be the bodies of the 
martyrs Felicitas and Prosper, with various other 
relics. The ruins of the Claudian Aqueduct, stretch- 
ing away over and beyond the Porta Maggiore, are 
•one of the most striking and impressive relics of the 
old city, which must have been abundantly supplied 
with water. There are now over a hundred fountains, 
some of them verj elaborate and picturesque in stat- 
uary, and other contrivances for throwing columns of 
wafer and spray into the air. 

Among the most remarkable and interesting objects 
in Koine, are the ruins of the Forum and the Coliseum. 
I have made several visits to these localities ; but let 
me sketch an evening ramble amid the shadows ol 
these astonishing relics of a departed age. On a 
cloudless, moonlight evening, a few of us took a stroll 
from the Piazza di Spagna to the Corso, and from 
thence by Trajan's Forum, whose broken pillars of 
granite and floor of variegated marble, and whose 
lone, majestic columns, attest the former splendor of 
the edifice, to the broad stairway of the Capitol, 
ascending which brought us to the site of the ancient 
Capitol, occupied by the present edifice, in which are 
some fine halls of statuary, and where you linger in 
rapt admiration before the Dying Gladiator. We 
descended the Capitoline Hill close by the grand Arch 
of Septimius Severus, and before us, on the right, 
were the silent and solemn ruins of the Forum. A 
few columns, here and there, are still standing, in 
exquisite beauty and finish, as if to remind us of the 
splendor of the ancient edifice, where Cicero and other 
orators discoursed so eloquently to vast assemblies of 



ARCH OF TITUS — THE COLISEUM. 133 

the people. What grandeur then ! What desolation 
now ! We enter the Via /Sacra, where Horace loved 
to walk, and passing on our left the magnificent arches 
of the Temple of Peace, we reach the Triumphal Arch 
of Titus, built to commemorate his conquest of Jeru- 
salem, On one of its inner walls we see bas-reliefs of 
the golden candlestick, the trumpets, and the ark, 
which the conqueror snatched from the consuming 
Temple, and bore as conspicuous spoils in his trium- 
phal procession through Rome. Who can describe 
the thoughts awakened by such a sight, at such an 
hour ! A little farther on eastward, while grand old 
broken columns, disclosed by the moonlight, He along 
the way, we have the lofty and beautiful Arch of 
Constantine on our right, and almost directly in front 
rises, in hoary majesty and sublime decay, yet in over- 
whelming vastness and grandeur, that kingly ruin and 
wonder of the world, the Coliseum ! As we approach 
the entrance, a French soldier, as sentinel, salutes us, 
and permits us to enter. We wander over the arena, 
amid the shadows of the arches and walls. All is 
silent and serene. How softly the moonbeams fall on 
a spot where, nearly eighteen centuries ago, such 
strange scenes of excitement and death were witnessed 
by assemblies numbering almost a hundred thousand 
people ! What multitudes of the early Christians 
were there thrown to the wild beasts, to be torn in 
pieces amidst the deafening shouts of their unfeeling 
persecutors I There, how often was the Gladiator 

u Butchered to make a Roman holiday 1 " 

As I thought of these scenes, and looked up above 



134 ROME — CATACOMBS OF ST. SEBASTIAN. 



the gray old walls to the sweet moon and serene stars, 
most delightful thoughts of heaven, where the martyrs 
are crowned with glory and all the blessed rejoice, 
possessed my mind, and I observed to a friend, There 
is one city where there are no ruins, and the temple 
therein shall never decay; how glorious the privilege 
of a home and inheritance there, where all is purity 
and peace ! That City is, indeed, Internal. 

It is not difficult to imagine with what pride and sat- 
isfaction the Coliseum was regarded when it stood in 
its unimpaired and sublime magnificence, and how 
astonished pilgrims, on beholding it, should exclaim — 

"While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand; 
When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall ; 
And when Romej alls — the world." 

We returned to our lodgings, musing on human 
greatness and decay, and with pictures made on the 
memory that can only fade with life. 

Old Rome is not only partially buried by the gradual 
accumulations on the surface for nearly two thousand 
years, but beneath these relics there are extensive re- 
cesses, stretching away for miles, excavated in the 
tufa, or soft rock, and crowded with the tombs and 
remains of the dead. I had visited the tombs of the 
Scipios and the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, which con- 
tain numerous underground passages and chambers ; but 
I was anxious to make further excursions into these won- 
derful subterranean cemeteries. Through the favor 
of Rev. Dr. Smith, acting President of the American 
College, a large party of us were gratified in making 
a visit to the Catacombs of St. Calixtus. "We rode out 



APPIAN WAT CATACOMBS OF ST. CALIXTU3. 



135 



some miles on the Appian Way — where, some days 
before, I had made a longer excursion, and was greatly 
interested in the tombs and relics along that old road, 
where Roman chariots once wheeled in triumph — and 
stopped at a gate opening into a garden or field. We 
entered, and proceeded a few paces, and then, with 
lighted tapers, a guide, and Dr. Smith to make explana- 
tions, we descended a narrow aperture, and for nearly 
three hours wandered amid those dark chambers of 
death. How interesting was this journey to a lower 
world ! We sometimes descended, and then ascended — ■ 
turned now to the right and then to the left — at one time 
going through long passages just large enough to ad- 
mit a single person, and presently Ave would come to 
a recess or chapel, arched above and supported by 
pillars cut in the rock, and large enough to hold twenty 
or thirty persons. Everywhere, on the right band and 
left, were burial-places, cut, one above another, in the 
sides of the passage. Sometimes a niche indicated, by 
its larger and smaller graves, a family vault. Most 
of these graves had been opened, by removing the 
marble slab that covered and sealed them, and con- 
tained inscriptions relating to the dead. We saw 
bones, skulls and skeletons in these graves, and could 
often read the inscriptions on the broken marble. 
Sometimes, in the chapels, there were portraits and 
religious emblems painted on the walls and ceiling, as 
well as carved on the tomb-stones. Here, doubtless, 
many thousands of the early Christians, in times of 
cruel persecution, met for divine worship, and here 
martyrs and others were buried. It was pleasant to 
emerge from this region of gloom and death to the re- 



136 



ROME CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. 



freshing light of a clear day. As we hastened back to 
the city, the last rays of the setting sun were tinging 
in purple and gold the adjacent hills and horizon. O 
how beautiful the light and glory of that world into 
which the believer emerges when he leaves this state 
of sin and darkness ! 

Christmas holidays in Rome ! The foreign observer 
cannot but find it interesting to see how the great fes- 
tival of Christmas is kept in the Eternal City, where 
the day was first set apart as a holy day, having been 
changed by the Church from a heathen to a Christian 
festival. And one might well conclude, after witness- 
ing the various ceremonies of the occasion, that the 
heathen element was not yet entirely eliminated. The 
observances begin the night before Christmas, and 
services of various sorts, in different churches, are kept 
up through nearly all the hours of night; but none of 
them seemed to be of any special interest. 

St. Peter's was the great attraction on Christmas 
Day, which, this year, occurred on Sunday. I went 
at an early hour, to get a good position for observation, 
and succeeded, though for the want of a dress coat I 
was not admitted to seats provided for such as wore 
the prescribed outer garment, and for ladies arrayed in 
black and veiled. " On entering the vast and glittering 
structure, the scene presented had more the aspect of 
a military rendezvous, than a place of Christian wor- 
ship. Long lines of soldiers, in gay and brilliant uni- 
forms, and thoroughly armed and equipped, their 
muskets and swords gleaming in the light that streamed 
from the windows, stood under the magnificent nave 
and dome, and were being drilled by their proper 



THE POPE AND CARDINALS AT ST. PETER'S, 137 



officei^ giving their various commands as on a muster- 
day. In different parts of the church, priests and 
other eccV„3iastics were perambulating about, in all 
imaginable forms and colors of dress, from the long, 
tight, scares w-looking robe, to the full and tawdry 
glitter of crimson and scarlet. Major-domos, or mar- 
shals and ushero, were also most fantastically habited, 
some of them in short clothes and stockings, with big 
white ruffles, reminding one of the portraits and cos- 
tumes of Philip II. of Spain, and Sir Walter Raleigh. 

At ten o'clock, the soldiery divided into two exten- 
ded columns, from the door to the high altar, and a 
bustle about the entrance indicated the approach of 
the Pope and his retinue of Cardinals and others. 
Soon His Holiness was brought in, seated on a chair 
resting on a platform, borne on the shoulders of men. 
Above him was a rich canopy, while he himself wore 
his tiara and his gorgeous pontifical garments. Before 
him went men bearing seven long wax candles burn- 
ing, while others carried in full view the triple crown ; 
at his side were borne large fan-like things, of ostrich 
or peacock feathers, indicating that his eyes were 
upon all, and all eyes upon him ; and in his rear was 
a long procession of Cardinals and Priests, mostly 
arrayed in scarlet robes. As the pageant moved on 
towards the altar, the Pope slightly bowing and 
weaving his hand, the military lines by sections and 
others fell on their knees before him. He was carried 
to a seat behind the altar where, during the services, 
he remained part of the time, or when not personally 
officiating at the altar. The Pope's choir, without the 
aid of instrumental music, except once when the silver 



138 ROME — CHRISTMAS THE BAMBINO. 



trumpets were blown, sang quite frequently, though 
not extraordinarily well. Cardinal Antonelli, the 
Pope's Secretary, and Premier in temporal matters, 
officiated a part of the time. lie is of medium height, 
and slender, with dark hair and eyes, and with a deci- 
ded intellectual cast of countenance. The ceremonies 
over, in which I could discover nothing particularly 
relevant to the occasion, the Pope and his train left 
the church in the same manner in which they entered 
it. The whole, as an exhibition or show, was a grand 
pageant; but as indicative of the religion of Him who 
was meek and lowly of heart, it was simply ridicu- 
lous. 

At various other churches, special ceremonies were 
observed. At St. Maria Maggiore there was, in a sort 
of basement room, a miniature representation of the 
birth of Christ — the manger, oxen, and other sur- 
roundings. A portion of the real cradle, or manger, 
at Bethlehem, was exhibited — so they say — and a pic- 
ture of the Virgin and Child, said to have been painted 
by Luke. The church at evening was partially illu- 
minated, and made a fine appearance. At St. John 
Lateran and at Trinita di Monte, the music was superb. 
At the latter church, a few nuns, with sweet voices, 
sang at Yespers almost daily. At a church near the 
Capitol, there was quite a scenic display through the 
week. By means of a painted pasteboard and perspec- 
tive, Bethlehem was represented, the shepherds and 
their flocks in the fields, and the angel hosts. But the 
central figure and chief attraction was the celebrated 
Bambmo, or figure of the infant Saviour, brilliantly 
clad, and bedecked with jewels. This Bambino ia 



THE POPE AT THE CHURCH OF THE JESUITS. 139 



regarded with great veneration, and. is supposed to 
have great power in healing the sick. It is often sent 
to the rooms of invalids, and its fees — for it never 
makes a visit without a fee — are sometimes more in 
amount than those of any doctor in Rome. 

On Saturday, the last day of the year, there was a 
grand display at the splendid church of the Jesuits. 
Seats had been provided — in the Romish churches of 
Europe very little provision is made for people to sit 
— and at three o'clock in the afternoon the large edi- 
flee was well filled. You rarely see Catholic churches 
filled. They are generally open, and persons are 
going in and out, kneeling, crossing themselves, and 
counting their beads, at all hours. The music at this 
church on this occasion was very fine. There are five 
different organs in as many galleries, and as they were 
played one after another, the effect was novel and 
agreeable. A well trained choir, with excellent voi- 
ces, sang admirably. About four o'clock the Pope 
and his train entered. He walked, preceded by a 
large military company, and followed by ecclesiastics. 
The choir sang, and a portion of the congregation re- 
sponded, or joined in choruses, with good effect. The 
Pope officiated at the high altar, and the choir sang 
the grand Te Deum in a manner that was deeply 
impressive. One could here realize something of the 
power and fascination which the Catholic religion has 
X)ver some minds. The gorgeously ornate church, with 
its fine paintings and statuary, the grand display of 
the Pope and his retinue, the bowing of the military 
and others on their knees as he passed, the charming 
music of organ and voice, the solemn responses, the 

6* 



140 



ROME — THE PRIESTS AND THE PEOPLE. 



burning of candles arranged for effect, and " the dim 
religious light " of the closing day — all were adapted 
to impress and captivate the senses. 

There are, I believe, about ten thousand priests in 
the city of Home. One meets them constantly in the 
in the street — sometimes singly, sometimes in com- 
panies or processions. You know them at once by 
their dress, though each different order has a costume 
peculiar to itself. Their robes are of all colors and 
patterns — black, red, brown and white ; and while 
some are close-fitting, others are full and flowing. 
Most of them, as throughout all Italy, wear low oval- 
crowned fur hats, with very broad brims, which, in 
two or three places, are bent up and tied to the crown. 
Some of the monks and Capuchins go about the streets 
with their heads entirely bare, and scarcely anything 
on their feet; while the Cardinals and some other 
priests are richly, and even gorgeously, appareled. 
The Cardinals have their splendid carriages and liv- 
eried servants. It must, of course, require an enor- 
mous tax to support so many priests. The better 
class of the Roman people, it is said, feel deeply the 
oppression of the hierarchy. You see the men in their 
cloaks walking the streets with a sad and downcast 
look. In the time of the temporary Kevolution in 
1S49, the carriages of the Cardinals were seized and 
burned ; and it is thought, in case of another such out- 
break, the Cardinals themselves would not v be spared. 
The people of Rome, as of all Italy, are poor. The 
standard of wealth is low, and there are few who are 
even called rich. The common people are very poor, 
and live from hand to mouth. They are neither 



ROMANISM AT HOME. 



141 



industrious nor persevering. Generally, if they can 
get a job of work, and the pay for it, tliey will live as 
long as they can without seeking any further employ- 
ment. They live very cheaply ; and beggars meet 
you importuningly at every step. You pity the poor 
creatures, and deplore the state of society, the religion, 
and the government, which produce such unhappy 
results. In Rome, you see the extremes towards 
which the Papal faith ever tends. Its arrogant 
assumptions and pretended prerogatives exalt and 
aggrandize a few, while its oppressions, exactions, and 
blinding influences, keep the many in deplorable igno- 
rance and wretched subservience and beggary. How 
intelligent Englishmen or Americans can be so far 
beside themselves, or so ignorant of the rudiments of 
Scriptural religion, as to become Romanists, I cannot 
see; and yet it is said a considerable number, espec- 
ially of the former, every year go over to the old 
superstition while residing at Rome. It would cer- 
tainly seem that they must be deficient in brains, 
Bible knowledge, or common sense ; for of all places 
where Romanism exhibits its glaring deformities, its 
marked absurdities, and its manifest evil tendencies, 
Rome itself is the most conspicuous. 

In my brief way-notes, many things can only be 
alluded to in an unsatisfactory manner, while others 
are entirely passed over. I would like to speak of a 
visit to the Protestant burying ground, and the graves 
of Keats, Shelley, and others, and the Tarpeian Rock ; 
to the pyramid of Caius Cestius, and the Mausoleum 
of Augustus ; to the Temples of Minerva and Yesta, and 
to several picture galleries ; but passing over these, 



142 



HOME VILLAS AND STUDIOS. 



and all mention of the shops of jewelry and Roman 
mosaics and cameos, I will just say a word of some 
villas and studios which I visited with interest. 

In the suburbs of Rome are a few beautiful villas. 
The gardens of the Yilla Albani are delightfully laid 
out into charming walks, shaded with evergreen shrub- 
bery, and interspersed with fountains and flowers. 
Rut the large collection of antique sculpture in the 
buildings interested me most of all. There were busts 
of poets, philosophers and heroes, whose likenesses 
one is much gratified to see. The Yilla Rorghese is 
even more extensive in its grounds, halls and statuary. 
It contains a splendid specimen of modern sculpture — ■ 
by Canova, I believe — a partially recumbent figure of 
Pauline Ronaparte, sister of Napoleon I. She mar- 
ried the Prince Rorghese, and was a woman of remark- 
able beauty. 

I have a very pleasant recollection of visits to sev- 
eral studios of American artists residing in Rome. 
At the rooms of Mr. Chapman, of Mr. Terry, and of 
Mr. Ropes, I saw some admirable pictures. Mr. 
Chapman is well known in New-York ; the other two 
gentlemen have lived, I believe, in Connecticut. — 
From the latter State is Mr. Ives, a fine sculptor, in 
wdiose studio I saw an excellent bust of Senator Sew- 
ard, a beautiful Ruth and Rebecca, and a Pandora of 
exquisite proportions and finish. His Excelsior is also 
deserving of high praise. At Miss Lander's and Miss 
Hosmer's studios I also saw beautiful specimens of 
sculpture. Miss Lander's Evangeline and Virginia 
Dare are certainly gems of art. Mr. Rogers' model 
of doors for the Capitol at Washington, struck me as 



PINCIAN HILL. 



143 



superior to the doors of the Baptistery at Florence, 
which Michael Angel© deemed worthy to be the gates 
of Paradise. 

I must say a word about Pincian Hill. It is a 
more conspicuous eminence, and attracts more visitors 
than either of the ancient Seven Hills. Ascending 
the long flight of steps from the Piazza di Spagna, 
around which the shops and hotels have quite an En- 
glish or American appearance, and turning to the 
left, you soon reach one of the most charming spots for 
promenading in Pome. Before you arrive there, if it 
be late in the afternoon, you pass on the fine street 
almost as many carriages as it will hold, and numer- 
ous pedestrians going to or returning from the summit 
of the Hill. Among the persons you meet few are 
natives; here and there you see one in the peculiar 
costume of the peasantry, with conical hat, embroi- 
dered coat or dress, and anything but neat in general 
appearance; but the multitude thronging the beau- 
tiful, garden-like grounds, with shady walks adorned 
with statuary, and fountains, and flowers, are English, 
Americans, Russians, and others. A military com- 
pany in fine uniform, with an excellent band of music, 
is often found here. The view from this spot is en- 
chanting. In one direction beautiful suburban villas 
meet your gaze, with the Campagna, and the Alban 
and Sabine hills beyond ; in another you see the Jan 
iculam, St. Peter's, the Vatican, and various windings 
of the Tiber, as it courses through the city and towards 
the sea. My first visit to Pincian Hill was near the 
close of a fete day, when it was thronged with gay 
carriages, and crowded with fashionable pedestrians ; 



144 



ROME — AN ITALIAN SUNSET. 



but the most interesting sight was the glorious sunset. 
It was a lovely day, the sky was clear, and the golden 
rays fell softly yet brilliantly over domes, towers, and 
groves of pine and cypress, till something of heaven 
seemed to blend with earth. The scene was sweetly 
suggestive of the glory of the celestial city. It was 
not often that we had such a sunset or such clear skies 
while I have been in Italy. About half of the time it 
lias been rainy and disagreeably cold, which, added to 
the filthy streets of the towns, the dismal dwellings ot 
the people, and the general shiftlessness of almost 
everything pertaining to man, beast or field, pretty 
effectually dispelled the poetic charm of Italian love- 
liness. 

I stand on one of the ancient hills, 

In the hoary city of Home, 
And a glorious scene my spirit thrills, 

As I look away toward home. 

J Tis the setting sun in his brilliant dyes, 
And what matchless tints are given ! 

They seem like the light of celestial skies 
O'er the jasper walls of Heaven. 

How softly on groves of cypress and pine, 
On domes, turrets and temples old, 

The blending glories linger and shine, 
And bathe St. Peter's in gold. 

On Alban slope and Sabine crown 

The purpling sumbeams play, 
And drop on the winding Tiber down 

Like glimmerings of upper day. 



XT. 



ppl*s— $mnjffi— Swains— §ai&— Haifa. 

The knell of another year has struck, and its last 
month, passed in the imperial city, has fixed its imper- 
ishable record on the memory. Now, on a bright 
morning of the New Year, we take our last look of 
Rome, grateful for the privilege of visiting a place of 
such wonderful interest, and yet a feeling of sadness 
cannot be avoided, as thoughts of the past and present 
of the city crowd into the mind. Her coming history 
— what will it be? She will doubtless participate in 
great and stirring scenes of change and revolution ; 
and some of them may be even now at her gates ! At 
Civita Vecchia, after the usual delay of police regula- 
tions, we took a fine French steamer, and had a pleas- 
ant run to Naples, which we reached about sunrise 
the next morning. We had ample time to survey the 
beautiful harbor and its surroundings, including Mount 
Vesuvius, while the slow officials were procuring us 
permission to land. 

Naples is a large city, the largest in Italy, and has 
a fine picturesque situation, but contains little in itself 
that interests the tourist. The city rises gradually 
from the beautiful bay, and the Castle of St. Elmo sits 
like a crown on its highest eminence. A few of the 
streets are fine, and have an air of business thrift ; but 



146 



HERCULANEUM AND POMPEII. 



for the most part the town is filthy and seems to be 
filled with a dirty and lazy set of good-for-nothing 
vagabonds and beggars. One, however, may profit- 
ably spend several days in most delightful and excit- 
ing excursions in the vicinity of Naples. Our first 
trips were to Herculaneum and Pompeii. 

We greatly enjoyed our visit to these buried and 
partially excavated cities. A half an hour will suffice 
for seeing all that can be shown of ancient Hercula- 
neum. It was no doubt a large and splendid city, but 
owing to the hardness of the volcanic tufa or rock that 
covers it, very little of it has been unfolded to the 
light. We descended with candles to that portion of 
a splendid amphitheater which has been opened, and 
from which many fine statues have been taken and 
removed to the Museum in Naples. At some distance 
from this an excavation of a few houses has been made, 
but there is nothing there to excite much interest. 
Quite a bustling town has been built over the remains 
of this silent, city of the dead. 

Pompeii, which was overwhelmed by the same 
remarkable eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the first cen- 
tury, has been excavated to a considerable extent, and 
we wandered for nearly a w T hole day through its death- 
like streets and dwellings, and still we left much of it 
unseen. It is impossible to describe the appearance 
of this singular city, or to convey adequately an idea 
of the profound interest awakened at every step. "We 
walked over long, well-paved streets, where the rut 
marks made by the Roman chariots were as evident as 
if they had wheeled along there but yesterday. We 
entered houses, and their various apartments, as par 



POMPEII HOUSE OF DIOMEDE. 



147 



lors, dining-rooms, bed-rooms, kitchens, and baths, and 
often saw on their walls various and elegant frescoes, the 
colors still bright and beautiful, indicating the refine- 
ment and wealth of their occupants. We passed into 
temples, forums, and theaters, and from the columns or 
fragments of columns and other portions of the build- 
ings still standing, an idea may be formed of the for- 
mer magnificence of these structures. A piece of 
statuary here and there is still left where it was found ; 
but most of these works of ancient art have been re- 
moved to the Museum in Naples. Often there is 
enough left in a building to indicate its use. We thus 
saw bakers' and barbers' shops, noticing in the first 
the mill and the oven. I was greatly interested in the 
private dwellings, in the arrangement of the rooms, 
and the appropriate or peculiar pictures painted on 
their walls. In a dining-room for instance, there would 
be pictures of fishes, fowls and game. Often there 
would be remnants of beautiful mosaics in the floors, 
and of the marble fountains in the open courts. In 
some of the cellars the old earthen wine-jars remain 
standing against the wall just as they did when the 
great and sudden calamity overwhelmed the city. In 
the house of Diomede, you see the spot in a basement 
room where several persons of the family huddled 
together and perished. An impress of their figures 
of different heights remains upon the wall, where their 
skeletons were found. Pictures in some of the houses 
indicate a low state of morals among the people ; and 
perhaps for their great wickedness, God in his Provi- 
dence overthrew them, as he did the Cities of the 
Plain. Along both sides of one of the streets, as you 



148 



THE MUSEUM IN NAPLES. 



enter the city, are rows of tombs, some of them appar- 
ently large family vaults, and were once richly orna- 
mented with various marble sculptures, fragments of 
which remain. But I cannot linger to particularize. 
Pompeii was covered with cinders and ashes, which 
are easily removed ; but not half the city has yet been 
laid open. Trees are growing just above the houses 
not yet excavated. The tops of the buildings and of 
the columns are generally gone ; and the stumps of the 
city indicate its former greatness, as tlie stumps in a 
cleared field show how the stately forest once flour- 
ished there. 

After my visit to Pompeii, I was anxious to see in 
the Borbonico Museum at Naples the statuary and 
other objects of interest found in the buried cities. 
The collection is exceedingly large, varied and won- 
derful. I have not anywhere seen so fine and full an 
array of ancient sculpture. One room contains statues 
in bronze, and several other rooms are filled with mar- 
ble figures and busts, many of which are exquisite in 
proportion and finish. Frescoes from Pompeii, with- 
out number, are here preserved. Domestic utensils 
and implements of husbandry, in copper and iron, as 
well as all sorts of pottery and some specimens of 
glassware, fill several large rooms. One is struck with 
the resemblance of many of them to implements still 
in use with us. You see there specimens of the jew- 
elry, the bracelets, the finger-rings, and the cameos 
which the Pompeiian ladies wore. There too is some 
of the fruit, and a loaf or two of bread, stamped with 
the maker's name, dried and slightly charred, but 
otherwise appearing precisely as they did nearly 



THE ASCENT OF VESUVIUS. 



149 



eighteen hundred years ago. You see also the key oi 
the city gate, found in the skeleton hand of the senti- 
nel, who did not desert his post at the coining on of 
the fiery storm that destroyed the city. The day in 
the Museum, as the day at Pompeii, was worth many 
leagues of travel to enjoy, and its sights and impres- 
sions can never be effaced from the mind. 

Our next excursion was to the remarkable volcano 
of Vesuvius. A carriage drive of some two or three 
hours brings us to the foot of the mountain. There 
the ladies and some of the gentlemen take horses, 
while others of us walk to the base of the cone, a dis- 
tance of some five miles, being a gradual ascent, and 
part of the way over immense fields of lava, folded 
and twisted into various shapes as it flowed hot down 
the mountain side. Its black wavy forms resemble, in 
everything but color, vast glaciers. The region has 
an awfully bleak and desolate appearance, and one 
almost shudders at the emblems of terror and power 
around him. It is no easy matter to ascend the cone. 
The ladies had to be helped up by the guides, and 
often stopped to rest. It is very steep, and the loose 
sand and scoriae give way under your feet at every step. 
At length all got up safely and in good spirits ; and 
sitting down by a little fiery fissure on the summit, 
we had some eggs roasted by volcanic heat. Then 
we proceeded to the verge of the awful crater, looking 
down into its smoking and fiery abysses, as gusts of 
wind occasionally cleared away the sulphurous obstruc- 
tions to our vision. The fog which had enveloped 
the mountain during our ascent was now dispelled, 
and we had glorious views of the grand and desolate 



150 



TOMB OF VIRGIL PUTEOLI. 



scenery around the volcano, and a beautiful panorama 
of Naples, the bay, and a portion of the Mediterranean 
Sea and its islands. The descent of the cone was 
quickly made, and in high glee at the ludicrous man- 
ner in which we slid, ran and pitched along. It was 
impossible to go slowly or gravely. A little below 
the foot of the cone we turned aside to see a river of 
red hot lava flowing out of the mountain and down 
its slope. It was a grand, terrible sight, and for some 
distance we could hear the grating, crackling sound 
of the glowing lava current. We all reached our 
lodgings in safety, with another day of wonder strongly 
and prominently marked in the calender of life's pil- 
grimage. 

One more excursion remained, and then we were 
ready for the expected steamer to bear us to the 
Orient, though we had longings for a sight of the tem- 
ples of Passtum, but could hardly find time to see 
them now. Our last excursion was to Baise, the favor- 
ite resort of emperors and nobles and literary men in 
the palmy days of Kome. The Appian Way, from the 
imperial city passed hither, and extended to Pompeii. 
Just before we entered the grotto of Possilipo, a long 
tunnel or underground road, which Seneca likened to 
a gloomy prison, we stopped at the Tomb of Yirgil, a 
spot of deep interest, though there may be some 
doubt as to its being the resting place of the re- 
mains of the illustrious bard. 

We stopped next at Pozzuoli, the modern name for 
Puteoli, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as the 
place where Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, and others land- 
ed, after their long and perilous voyage in the ship 



LAKE AVERNtJS — RtfltfS OF BALE. 



151 



whose sign was Castor and Pollux. "The south wind 
blew," says the sacred narrative, " and we came the 
next day to Puteoli, where we found brethren, ano! 
were desired to tarry with them seven days." I con- 
fess I felt a deeper interest in the place on this account, 
and turned away from the remarkable ruins of the 
Temple of Jupiter Serapis and the Amphitheater, to 
look upon the little bay which the great Apostle sailed 
over, and to try to identify the spot where he must 
have stepped upon the siiore. How pleasantly that 
week must have passed with the brethren he found 
here. Alas ! I fear he would find none such to wel- 
come him now, should he visit the place at the present 
time. True, it has its churches and those who call 
themselves Christians, but how unlike the primitive 
disciples ! 

A few miles farther along the sea-shore, and turn- 
ing a little way to the right into the country, we reach 
the famous lake A vera us, around which much of 
mythology and mystery gathered in ancient times. 
There is nothing specially interesting about it now. 
At its southern side we entered a dark subterranean 
passage leading over a river that might be another 
Styx. After proceeding some distance with torches, 
we turned into a side path, and on the shoulders of 
demon-looking men we were borne over a water-pas- 
sage to the cave and bath of the Sybil. Here were 
chambers walled and arched with brick. We re- 
turned, not caring to penetrate any further or to see 
whether Charon could be found at his post. 

The ruins about Baise are certainly extensive and 
interesting, especially the Baths of JSTero, where the 



152 



NAPLES TO MALTA. 



hot mineral water still flows ; the temples of Diana, 
Mercury, and Yen us ; the Piscina Mirabilis, an im- 
mense stone reservoir fed by the Julian Aqueduct, 
and designed to supply the Roman fleet; and the 
Prisons of Nero, containing dark underground dun- 
geons which we entered with lights. The greatness 
and even grandeur of all these ruins indicate the magni- 
ficence and splendor that once rested upon these beauti- 
ful hills overlooking the sea. But the gay and tu- 
multuous life of the past is succeeded by a dreary and 
almost silent desolation. 

On the tenth of January we left Naples in a French 
steamer for Malta. We soon passed the romantic 
bluffs of Sorrento on our left, and the beautiful rockv 
island of Capri on our right. During the night we 
were in view of Stromboli, belching forth at intervals 
its volcanic flames into the darkness. In about twenty 
hours, passing the straits between Scylla and Chary b- 
dis, we reached Messina, a considerable town on the 
island of Sicily, where we stopped a few hours, but 
found nothing of special note save dirty streets and a 
filthy looking people. We passed through the straits 
of Messina, observing Reggio, a town on the Italian 
coast, the ancient Rhegium, mentioned in the voyage 
of Paul, already alluded to, and where he was de- 
tained one day. The next morning we arrived at 
Malta, an island deeply interesting as connected with 
the voyage and shipwreck of Paul. We spent a few 
hours in the clean, pleasant, English-like town of Ya- 
letta, visiting fine shops and purchasing specimens 
or lace, and some delicious oranges, and would like 
to have gone to St. Paul's Bay, and identified 



Malta To Alexandria. 



153 



if possible, the place of the shipwreck, but the 
steamer for Alexandria was ready to depart, and we 
hastened on board. In a little less than four days 
more on the restless Mediterranean, we came in sight 
of the towers and minarets of the city founded by the 
great world-conqueror. On Sunday, at sea, we got 
permission of the captain, and a few of us, mostly 
Americans, held a religious service in the cabin, with 
prayers, singing and a sermon from the text : "If God 
be for us, who can be against us?" As we came to 
anchor in the harbor, what thrilling emotions were 
9 wakened in view of our proximity to the ancient 
and historic land of the Pharaohs, the banks of the 
mysterious Nile, and the shadows of the majestic and 
hoary Pyramids ! 



XII. 

(fgspi— ^Itmkm— €mu. 

Here I am, in " the land of Egypt," beyond the Med- 
iterranean, the Great Sea of the ancients. Here it 
lies, the same land now in its general outline and con- 
figuration as when Abraham saw it, and the successive 
Pharaohs and Ptolemy s ruled over it. Through it the 
same river tracks its long course. The same billows 
break on its lower margin. The same great deserts 
stretch away from the sides of its narrow valley of 
perpetual verdure, guarded by the same barren sen- 
tinel hills. The same warm sun is over it by day, and 
the bright stars look down upon it as of old by night. 
Egypt is no Utopia — no myth. Here she is now, 
though 

" A stain is on her glory, 
And quenched her ancient light. 3 ' 

My first day in Africa, in Egypt, in Alexandria, 
remains a curious and vivid picture in the halls of 
memory. Our steamer had been waiting most of the 
night outside the harbor for the day-dawn and a pilot 
The Egyptians never do things in a hurry. At length, 
the sun rose gloriously over the minarets and monu- 
ments of the city, and we entered the harbor, January 
16th. Now a lively and novel scene was presented. 
Little boats surrounded us, and instantly a swarm of 
fellows, of all colors and costumes, came climbing up 



ORIENTAL SIGHTS AND SCENES. 



155 



into the ship, anxious to take us and our baggage 
ashore, and to this or that hotel. Black and white, 
with every intervening shade, and some with rich, 
flowing robes, and others with scarce!} 7 " any robes at 
all — with turbans and tarbusbes — they pressed around 
us, and in broken English and Arabic, most pertina- 
ciously offered their services. It was difficult to keep 
out of their clutches. Selecting such as we needed, 
and making arrangements with a hotel-keeper, we 
landed in due time, and easily got our baggage 
through the Custom-House. 

From the windows of our omnibus — an innovation 
upon the kingdom of donkeys and camels, caused by 
railroads — we saw novel pictures and phases of life. 
Prominent in the view were those huge, ungainly, but 
useful and patient animals, rows of camels, swinging 
along their burdens of human and other freight. 
Many and marvelously little donkeys were tripping 
along, under big bundles, much larger than them- 
selves, of men, women, and goat-skins of water filled 
plumply out even to the nose and toes, each looking 
in shape like the animal itself. Now we passed a 
majestic and solemn Turk in full and flowing dress, 
and now an almost naked Arab or Nubian ; then a 
group of women, carrying heavy burdens on their 
heads, their faces closely veiled, except their eyes, 
though their feet and legs were bare ; and then, per- 
haps, a singular-looking figure astride a donkey, which, 
on a nearer view, proves to be a Turkish female, in a 
white veil, but almost completely enveloped in enor- 
mous folds of oladk silk. A succession of these new 
and strange features of life excited and absorbed our 
7 



156 



ALEX AXD RI A DONKEY - R t DING. 



attention till we reached our hotel. These appear- 
ances were truly Oriental. 

After a late breakfast, some of our party of a dozen 
walked toward the southern part of the city, delighted 
with a view of the graceful and noble palms, witli 
bananas and acacia trees, that skirt and adorn the city. 
We came to au eminence covered with short green 
grass, which we ascended, and then sat down to enjoy 
the prospect of city, shore and sea. But the city we 
now looked upon was not really that which Alexander 
founded, and which so wonderfully flourished under 
the reigns of the Ptolemys. Of that city, with its 
grand temples, its famed Museum, and its immense 
library, nothing remains save, perhaps, two lonely 
columns. While thus engaged, another of our party 
came up to us, mounted on a donkey, and just then, 
others of these animals being brought by the boys 
who have them in charge, we were soon all having 
our first experience in donkey-riding, and enjoj'ing it 
wonderfully. Donkeys are a. great " institution" in 
Egypt. You find them everywhere. But they are 
scarcely larger than a good-sized sheep ; and a man six 
feet high, and weighing nearly two hundred, is some- 
what reluctant at first to ride such a puny beast. He 
feels as though it might be proper for him to carry the 
donkey part of the time — his superior bulk, also, and 
his feet nearly touching the ground, give him a sort 
of ridiculous appearance. But he soon gets over all 
this, and is quite surprised at the strength and nimble- 
ness of the donkey, which trots or gallops away with 
him at an easy and rapid pace. We were so delighted 
with this kind of riding, that we kept at it for sev- 



cleopatra's needle and pompey's pillar. 157 

eral hours in gleeful excitement. Each donkey is in 
charge of an Arab boy or man, who runs after you, 
often urging on the donkey, and whipping him unmer- 
cifully. No matter how fast or far you go, the donkey- 
boy will keep along, ready to show the way, and take 
charge of the animal when you stop. These boys 
speak considerable English, and are continually prais- 
ing their donkeys or themselves. Crowds of them are 
early at your hotel, calling your name, and urging 
you to take their donkeys. " Mr. Doctor, take my 
donkey ; he bery good." 

Our first excursion was to Cleopatra's Needle, a fine 
obelisk of red granite, seventy feet high, and nearly 
eight feet square at its base, and covered with hiero- 
glyphics. It formerly stood at Heliopolis, a few 
miles from Cairo, and bears the name of the Pharaoh 
who was contemporary with Moses. The leader of the 
Israelites doubtless saw it as it stood there. It was 
removed to Alexandria to ornament the temple of the 
Caesars before which it stood, with another similar to 
it which long since fell, and now lies near by, almost 
covered with earth. Pompey's Pillar, or more prop- 
erly, the Column of Diocletian, which stands to the 
opposite or western side of the city, next claimed our 
attention. This conspicuous monument is about a 
hundred feet high, standing on a pedestal, and sur- 
mounted by a capital. The main shaft is cylindrical, 
and consists of a single stone, nearly thirty feet in 
circumference. Both of these columns stand at a 
considerable distance south of the present city ; the 
old Alexandria, with its gorgeous temples, palaces and 
schools, in the midst of which they once stood, having 



158 



ALEXANDRIA CATACOMBS. 



passed away, and left nothing else remaining but 
mounds of earth and heaps of rubbish. These, too, 
will at length fall. Around the base of Cleopatra's 
Needle the salt waves of a high sea break and foam, 
and it is by their action, and that of the atmosphere, 
gradually being destroyed. And the pedestal of 
Pompey's Pillar seems little less than a pile of loose 
stones, ready to give way to the crushing weight 
above. From a Bedawin tent, near this monument, 
where " two women were grinding at a mill," came 
a cry for bucks heesh, a word we shall often hear. 

One gets an idea of the greatness and populousness 
of ancient cities by the extensive tombs or places of 
sepulture which, as cities of the dead, hewn in rock, 
and built beneath the surface, have longer escaped 
the hand of destruction. It was so in Rome; it is so 
in Alexandria. A short ride from Diocletian's Pillar 
brought us to the slope of an eminence honeycombed 
with houses of the dead of long ago. We entered and 
explored a number, and found the architecture of some 
of them, combining fine Grecian characteristics with 
embellishments in fresco, whose colors are still bright 
and clear. We subsequently visited other catacombs 
along the sea-shore beyond Cleopatra's Needle, They 
were like the first, and appeared to be very extensive ; 
but numerous Arabs or Egyptians were digging 
among them for stone for building materials, or to burn 
for lime. Thus the tombs prepared with so much 
care and expense, are ruthlessly broken into, the sanc- 
tuaries of the dead invaded, and their bones scattered 
with the sand and rubbish. Several fine sarcophagi, 
sculptured in stone, were lying about, half-buried in 



PALACE OF THE PASHA. 



159 



earth. Somewhere in this city the tomb of the great 
Alexander was despoiled, and the golden sarcophagus 
containing his remains was stolen. Such is the sacri- 
legious cupidity of man. In these catacombs many of 
the early Christians doubtless found a resting-place, 
and in times of persecution, fled hither for "freedom 
to worship God." Perhaps they had heard the gospel 
from the lips of John whose surname was Mark. 

There is nothing attractive about the buildings in 
Alexandria. Those occupied by Europeans for busi- 
ness or residence have an air of substantiality and 
comfort, contrasting strongly with the mean and filthy 
shops and abodes of the natives. Our donkey-riding 
brought us quite to the northern suburbs of the city, 
where, overlooking the sea, stands the Palace of the 
Pasha. We were permitted to ride through the gate 
guarded by numerous soldiers, and passing along a 
shady and pleasant garden, whose summer-like aspect 
had a refreshing appearance, we stopped in front of 
the palace, and walking over a mosaic pavement, we 
entered the building. At the head of a flight of stairs, 
we were required to leave our boots and shoes, and 
put on slippers which were brought to us. We were 
then conducted through the various public and private 
rooms of the palace. They were furnished partly in 
Turkish and partly in European style, and some of the 
rooms and chambers were both tasty and elegant. 
The rich and luxurious divans attracted special atten- 
tion. One room or hall contained fine portraits of the 
Pasha, and of Mohammed Ali and his sons. Adjoin- 
ing the palace, is the harem, which we were not per- 



160 ALEXANDRIA — BAZAARS — DEPARTURE. 



mitted to enter. The mosques and churches in Alex- 
andria are quite inferior edifices. 

Prominent among the buildings and business of the 
city are the various bazaars, Turkish and Arab, located 
along in the same quarter of the city, yet distinct from 
each other. The shops, which are rude, low buildings, 
standing close together, are arranged on both sides of 
very narrow streets, some of winch are so narrow as 
not to allow even of donkey-riding through them. 
The merchant or shop keeper sits cross-legged in the 
center of his little room, where he can reach, without 
rising, almost every article in his shop. His tarbush 
or turban on his head, and smoking his long pipe or 
chibouk, he does not stir or ask } 7 ou to buy, or seem 
to care whether you purchase or not. But if you do 
buy, he will try to get a good price for his wares, 
much greater than he would expect to get from a na- 
tive. Long before sundown every shop is closed. 

It needed but two days to see everything of special 
interest in Alexandria. The railway is now completed 
to Cairo, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. 
But a railroad in Egypt is a strange innovation upon 
all previous methods of locomotion. It is a great con- 
venience, however, and since the overland route to 
India has become such a thoroughfare, it is a neces- 
sity. But it was a singular sight to see swarthy Egyp- 
tians in Oriental costume in charge of the train. The 
carriages or cars were part of them made in England, 
and part in America, and partake of the characteris- 
tics of each. We happened to go with the passengers 
of an English steamer just arrived, and who were 



SIGHTS BY THE WAY THE PYRAMIDS. 



161 



bound to India. The train was a very long one, and 
we were about seven hours on the way. 

It was a day of excitement not soon to be forgotten ; 
for the scenery, and various objects observed by the 
way, were both novel and interesting. We passed 
along Lake Mareotis, and one of the branches of the 
Nile, now with palms on the one hand and fig-trees 
on the other ; now the valley or prairie-like fields 
stretching off a long distance, covered with wheat, 
growing in green luxuriance, or interspersed here and 
there with beans or some other vegetable growth, 
crowned with blossoms ; and in striking contrast with 
these appeared occasionally most wretched and filthy 
looking mud villages, and groups of half-naked human 
beings, of all ages and in every kind of grotesque cos- 
tume Some time before we reached Cairo we caught 
sight of the Pyramids, and felt, in our wondering 
excitement, like shouting over the grand vision. Old 
Cheops and its companion, which stood probably in 
the days of Abraham, and which that patriarch saw, 
as he went into Egypt — which met the gaze of Moses 
for many years, and which Jacob and Joseph had often 
looked upon — monuments which have stood through 
so much of the world's history, and under whose shad- 
ows events so stupendous have transpired — the Pyra- 
mids, of which we had heard and read with wonder 
from our childhood — to actually see them with our 
own eyes, even at a distance, was surely an era in our 
lives, and a day long to stand out in marked promin- 
ence. Our all-absorbed attention was ere long turned 
to numerous domes and minarets rising out of groves 



162 



CAIRO — PHASES. OF EASTERN LIFE. 



of palms and sycamores, and soon we were domiciled 
in the Hotel D'Orient. 

Cairo, the Grand, the Magnificent, the Beautiful, the 
Blessed, as it is called, is a fine specimen of an Orien- 
tal city. All varieties of Eastern people, and phases 
of Eastern life, may here be seen and studied. Look 
out upon the Ezbekiah, or open square, bordered by 
venerable shade-trees, green even in mid-winter, in 
front of the Oriental Hotel, and you will see a lively 
and chequered scene — a picture of many lights and 
shades, that will long be remembered. Turbaned 
men and veiled women, boys with their donkeys to let 
and little girls accosting yon, " Ya, Howagi, buck- 
sheesh, " beggars of course ; now a Frank carriage 
rattles off, an Arab always running before the horses, 
and shouting, " Riggolett !" get out of the way ; and 
just across the road, is a native group or circle, in 
great merriment, engaged in some litle exhibition of 
monkey tricks, or a miscellaneous dance. A few steps 
bring you to the bazaars, where all sorts of knick- 
knacks are for sale. But look well as yon go through 
the narrow streets which the sunlight never visits ; for 
the buildings so sociably near on the ground, as they 
rise up story after story, approach still nearer, and in 
some places almost, or quite, touch each other, where 
bright eyes are peering through the lattices. Now in 
passing you are half buried in the huge folds of an old 
Turk's dress, and you emerge, only to come in collision 
with a donkey or the legs of its rider ; and then you see 
coming a huge camel, with a mountain of a load on 
its hilly back, and actually no room is left for you to 
pass. You begin to think of being generally smashed 



A WEDDING — MOSQUE OF THE CITADEL. 



163 



up, when you discover at the way-side a little niche 
just deep enough to shelter you, and made on purpose 
for such an emergency. You turn into another street, 
and meet a procession of thirty or forty men, women 
and children ; those in front have some rude musical 
instruments which they beat or blow, and along about 
the center, you see three females walking together, 
the middle one quite young and rather gaily attired ; 
she is a bride going to the residence of her husband, 
who has never yet seen her face. This is a wedding 
in Cairo. 

I visited but two or three mosques, as they seem 
not to have any very special attractions. The Mosque 
of the Citadel, however, is one of the finest in Cairo, 
and is richly ornamented, having splendid chande- 
liers and stained windows, which the Moslems gener- 
ally discard. Before entering the square leading to 
the mosque, we had to exchange our boots and shoes 
for rag-slippers. In this square is the Well of Joseph, 
said to have been dug by the ancient Egyptians. Here, 
too, for this square is within the citadel, the ill-fated 
Mamelukes were massacred by order of Mohammed 
Ali, who, under the cover of friendship, enticed them 
within the walls. Their power was thus brought to a 
bloody termination. In the mosque were a few of the 
faithful at prayer. With their faces towards Mecca, 
they frequently dropped on their knees, and then 
bowed their faces to the floor, rising to their feet again, 
and going often through the same forms, uttering at 
intervals audible words of prayer. The minarets of 
this mosque are lofty and beautiful, and are seen at a 
great distance, as it stands on the highest ground in 
7* 



164 CAIRO — MOSQUE OF AMER- -DAACING DERVISHES. 

the city. The view also from the ramparts of the cita- 
del is wide and interesting. 

The Mosque of Amer is a thousand years old, the 
oldest, I believe, in Egypt. It occupies a large space 
of ground in Old Cairo, but has a dilapidated and 
deserted appearance. There is a tradition that when 
this building falls the Moslem power will wane. If 
this be true, the downfall of this strange power is not 
far distant; for portions of the old building have 
already tumbled down, and the rest seems rapidly 
tending to the same prostrate condition. Let it go. 
Two stone pillars, standing near together on the same 
pedestal, have been regarded as a sort of test of salva- 
tion. If one can pass between them, he may hope to 
enter the paradise of the faithful ; but if he has de- 
voted himself so much to the good things of this life, 
as not to be able to pass this test, he may not expect 
entrance to the Prophet's heaven. When I looked at 
the pillars, or rather the space between them, as our 
party were passing through, one after another, I 
thought my own chances were small, with such a test ; 
for a taste of Egypt's flesh-pots, to say nothing of leeks 
and onions, has rather increased my sizable propor- 
tions, so that I found it impossible to squeeze myself 
through, as did also one other of our large party. 

On the afternoon of a Friday, the Moslem Sabbath, 
we went almost down to Old Cairo to witness the per- 
formances of the Dancing Dervishes. We entered a 
plain room, where a few persons were seated on sheep- 
skins arranged on the floor in a sort of semicircle. 
Others came in from time to time, till there were 
about forty in all. Some of them began to chant or 



SHOOBRA GARDENS AND PALACE. 



165 



sing, sometimes one, and sometimes several, or all 
together. Some of them knelt, and bowed, and prayed 
like those described above. But the principal per- 
formance consisted in their all standing up in a cir- 
cle, with a leader in the center, whose motions and 
sounds they imitated. They all bowed low, and lifted 
their bodies erect, and continued to bow and raise 
themselves, and at each lifting of the head, all uttered 
a deep guttural sound or suppressed howl. Their mo- 
tions grew more rapid / and their utterances louder as 
the performance continued. The Egyptians usually 
shave their heads, but several of these dervishes had 
very long hair, and after they got well under way in 
the bowing process, one of the leaders pulled off the 
tarbushes of such, and then their hair new over and 
back in wild and bushy profuseness, adding not a little 
to the strange and ridiculous picturesqueness of the 
scene. They continued this performance an hour at 
a time, till it seemed impossible that they could 
endure it any longer. They evidently became greatly 
excited, and one of them actually fell into an epileptic 
fit with convulsions, and lay for some time insensible 
on the floor. 

A pleasant ride of four or five miles northward 
along the Nile, and over a fine thoroughfare, lined by 
shady lebbek-trees, and where we met numerous trains 
of loaded asses and camels, reminding us of the Ish- 
maelites entering Egypt with the captive Joseph- 
brought us to the Shoobra gardens and a palace of 
the Viceroy. The extensive gardens are threaded by 
various walks in excellent order, and the numerous 
orange and lemon-trees, filled with fruit, and the odor 



166 



CAIRO PETRIFIED FOREST. 



of geraniums and full-blown roses, rendered our walk 
through them very agreeable. How unlike the latter 
part of January at home ! The palace-court in these 
gardens contains an immense marble fountain or basin, 
finely sculptured from Carrara marble by Italian 
artists, who have shown their skill in representing 
various kinds of fish in bas-relief on the sides of the 
fountain. 

Very different scenery we found a day or two after, 
in an excursion to the Petrified Forest, six or seven 
miles east of Cairo. Our w T ay, after leaving the city, 
and the Tombs of the Caliphs, was over a broad and 
dreary desert, no tree or dwelling relieving the vast 
and arid desolation. At length we reached something 
of an eminence — the border of the Mokattam bills — 
covered with small, loose and chip-like stones, and our 
guides told us this was the forest. We had thought 
of standing or at least prostrate trees, in a state of 
petrifaction ; but scarcely a stone around us would 
measure a foot in any direction. They were, however, 
certainly petrifactions of wood, and as such, a curios- 
ity, a few specimens of which we gathered from our 
examinations. 

I made a very pleasant excursion with a friend to 
the ruins of Heliopolis, or the City of On. It was in 
a north easterly direction, on the border of the land of 
Goshen, and it took our nimble donkeys about two 
hours to bear us thither. We passed along by green 
fields of waving wheat and luxuriant clover, with here 
and there fig-trees, tamarisks and acacias. 

Just before reaching the site of the ancient city, we 
turned into a garden, where was a very old and large 



HELIOPOLTS — ITS OLD OBELISK. 



167 



sycamore tree, on which many names and dates were 
cut. There is a tradition that Mary and Joseph, with 
the infant Jesus, stopped to rest here, in their flight into 
Egypt. We picked a few leaves from the tree and 
went on. 

¥e found nothing of Heliopolis but old earthen 
mounds and a few vestiges of the once splendid Tem- 
ple of the Sun. There were garden-like patches under 
cultivation among these artificial hillocks. The Foun- 
tain of the Sun is a pool fringed about with shrub- 
bery. But the most conspicuous relic is a fine obelisk, 
standing in its original position, probably at the en- 
trance of the temple; and there it has stood near four 
-thousand years, being, as is supposed, the oldest of its 
kind in Egypt. It often met the eye of Joseph, whose 
father-in-law was a priest of the temple. Moses passed 
it as he went to his studies. Herodotus speaks of 
it, and Plato meditated at its base. Lone monument 
of the mighty Past I 



XIII. 

Stafc tf puts— lift on % 

While in Cairo and vicinity, one is impressed with a 
feeling of deep interest in being in the midst of local- 
ities with which is associated so much of Bible his- 
tory. Abraham and Sarah have been here. I have 
looked upon hill, vale and river, if not Pyramid, that 
their eyes once sc w . I visited the spot where tradition 
says the infant Moses was found by Pharaoh-s daugh- 
ter in the ark of bulrushes among the flags of the 
Nile. It was the margin of the beautiful island of 
Rhoda, which furnished a charming site for a royal 
palace. Near by is the Nilometer, an ancient con- 
trivance for marking the daily height and rise of the 
water in the river. Over this land Joseph ruled as a 
princely Viceroy. He had a home, perhaps, at On, or 
Heliopolis, just over there on the borders of Goshen, 
the land that was subsequently given to his father and 
his brethren. They grew up in Egypt, a strong and 
mighty people ; but under kings that knew not 
Joseph, they were sorely oppressed, being compelled 
to make brick, just as I have seen menials making 
brick now, of the mud of the river mingled with 
straw. Here the voice of God was heard speaking to 
Moses and to Pharaoh, for the deliverance of his cap- 
tive people. Here that succession of mighty miracles 



AMERICAN MISSIONARIES. 



169 



was wrought, wliich confounded the gods of Egypt, and 
at length broke the power of the oppressor. Here the 
augel of death passed over the blood-sprinkled doors 
of the dwellings of the children of Israel, but entered 
those of the Egyptians, and laid prostrate and lifeless 
the first-born in every house. Here was the most 
wonderful movement the worli ever saw — the great 
exodus and inarch to the Red Sea, through the long 
wilderness, and to the promised Canaan. Here, in 
after years, Jeremiah prophesied and wept. And at 
length, a fugitive family came hither, Joseph and 
Mary, from Jadea, bringing the Holy Child, born in 
Bethlehem, but whose life the wicked Herod sought. 
Beneath a dingy Coptic church in Old Cairo, I looked 
into a grotto where it is affirmed the Infant Saviour 
was concealed. 

What great events have here transpired ! What 
remarkable personages have here lived, have looked 
on yonder Mokattam hills, have walked on the banks 
of this river, and have gone to rest in these tombs of 
rock and sand ! Customs that prevailed three thous- 
and years ago are still continued, and I am often 
reminded, by what I see, of things recorded in the 
Bible. Calling one day on the Rev. Mr. Barnet, an 
American missionary in Cairo, I had the pleasure of 
seeing there also the Rev. Mr. Lansing, American 
missionary resident at Alexandria, who, as he came 
into the room, saw there his old Arabic teacher, and 
their friendly salutation was falling upon each other's 
necks, reminding me at once of the meeting here of 
Joseph with his brethren and father. I enjoyed pleas- 
ant interviews with the above faithful missionaries, 



170 



DEAGOMAN ENGAGED — ON THE NILE. 



and was invited to preach for the former, but was pre- 
vented from doing so by a temporary illness — a severe 
attack with high fever — which kept me two or three 
days in bed. The sympathy and kind attentions of 
my traveling associates, including the excellent medi- 
cal care of Dr. J. G. Adams, of New York, are grate- 
fully remembered. During this time an American 
traveler from Philadelphia died at our hotel. He had 
lately come from Palestine, and had there contracted 
the Syrian fever. He had left his wife and children in 
Geneva to await his return. It was a sad case, and 
excited much sympathy among all. 

At length, after considerable parking and nego- 
ciating, our contract and arrangements were made for 
a trip up the Nile, and a survey of some of the grand 
and wonderful ruins of Upper Egypt. We made 
Thebes the limit, distant nearly five hundred miles, 
reserving the privilege of going further if time would 
permit. Our dragoman is Achmet Saidi, a shrewd 
Egyptian, who has taken many Americans up the 
Nile, and among them Bayard Taylor. He takes us 
up and back for a stipulated sum, furnishes boats and 
board, pays all expenses by the way, and allows us a 
certain number of days for sight-seeing. 

On the evening of January 25th, our party of twelve 
Americans, who had come on together from Naples, 
took possession of our two Nile boats at Boulak, the 
landing for Cairo. The next forenoon we began to 
sail with a favoring breeze, and for two days those 
grand old monuments, the Pyramids, were in sight, 
scattered along the west bank of the river, and on the 



OUR PARTY — FINE CLIMATE. 



171 



border of the Lybian desert. We reserved our visit 
to them until our return. 

Our pleasant party consists of eight gentlemen and 
four ladies. Among them are four ministers, three 
Baptist and one Dutch Reformed, also a Baptist Dea- 
con and a Presbyterian Elder. There are six on each 
boat, and we have daily worship as in a family, and 
on Sundays we all get together on one of the boats 
and have a sermon or a social pra} T er and conference 
meeting. These services are occasions of deep and 
tearful interest, strongly reminding us of similar meet- 
ings at home. We live very much as we should at 
a good hotel, and are free from care, with ample op- 
portunity to read and write, to observe the sights 
and scenes along the valley, to walk and hunt on 
shore, and during the days reserved for the purpose, 
to visit the magnificent old monuments, tombs and 
temples found near the banks of the river. The 
weather, with cool mornings, is June-like and delight- 
ful. But our progress is of^en very slow, for the crew 
have to track or tow the boats when we cannot sail 
with the wind. We were about three weeks in going 
to Thebes. 

Life on the ISTile, in the mild climate, under the 
clear skies, amidst the green fields, the sandy plains, 
the barren hills, the strange scenes and wonderful ruins 
of Egypt, is a life at once dreamy, luxurious and full 
of interest. The air is dry and sufficiently bracing, 
and invalids usually find great benefit from a trip on 
the river. It is the place to possess and enjoy an ex- 
cellent appetite, judging from our own party. Yet I 



172 



FAMOUS RIVEft — RICHNESS OF SOIL. 



imagine after five or six weeks, it must become a 
somewhat tiresome and monotonous experience. 

It is certainly interesting to be floating on such a 
river as the Nile, often alluded to in the Bible, once 
miraculously turned to blood, and in whose valley, and 
along whose banks, in long ages past, transpired events 
so stupendous and astonishing. Flowing down from 
hidden fountains and snowy summits far away in the 
unknown regions of Central Africa, its waters roll by 
day, and murmur in the moonlight, the same as when 
they reflected the glory of the Pharaohs, more than 
three thousand years ago. Egypt had a history, grand 
and thrilling, before books, or parchments, or written 
languages were known. Much of that history is 
sealed ; some of it is shadowed forth in the curious 
hieroglyphics that cover those magnificent ruins and 
monuments that are the wonder of the world. If the 
Nile could tell us all it has witnessed — if it could sing 
of the deeds of old, the triumph of arts and arms 
here — how thrilling would be the story, how sublime 
the epic ! Before the Pentateuch w r as written, before 
the Law was given on Mount Sinai, there stood on the 
banks of the Nile cities, temples and tombs, which, in 
vastness and magnificence, have never yet been sur- 
passed. How different is the Egypt of to-day from 
the Egypt of the Pharaohs and the Ptolemys! 

In ascending the river, one is struck with the rich- 
ness and vast capabilities of the soil. The vale is but 
a few miles in width, bounded by the Lybian desert 
on the west, and the Arabian on the east, the barren 
sands, or rocky, desolate bluffs, often approaching 
quite near to the river margin ; while again, the fertile 



PRODUCTIONS — IRRIGATION. 



175 



plain, covered with luxuriant crops, extends back for 
a considerable distance. No soil can be more produc- 
tive ; it needs no artificial enriching ; the annual over- 
flow of the river, somewhere from August to October, 
spreads over it a deposit more valuable than gold. 
How wonderful this airangement of Providence, in a 
country where rain is never or rarely known. If a 
year pass without this overflowing, great scarcity or a 
famine is the result. 

It is a beautiful sight to look on these extensive 
fields of wheat, of a deep green color, and a luxuriant 
growth, the grain, even in mid-winter, two feet high. 
Large fields, also, of beans, peas, onions, mustard and 
tobacco, meet the eye, some of them rejoicing in their 
crowns of bloom. Doura, or Indian corn, is raised in 
abundance, its tall stalks serving for firewood and 
building materials. 

One of the more common sights attracting the eye 
of the traveler on the Nile, is the process of irrigation, 
or methods by which the water of the river is raised 
up, and distributed over the fields. Near Cairo, and 
also near Thebes, it is done by water wheels, to which 
leathern buckets are attached, which fill as the wheel 
touches the river, and are emptied into a trough at 
the top. These wheels are turned by oxen or buffa- 
loes, animals that only slightly resemble the wild buf- 
falo of our country, and yet are quite different, except 
in size, from the ordinary ox. I first saw them in 
Rome, and have observed them quite frequently since. 
Another method of raising water, to a small height, is 
that where two men stand facing each other, with the 
trench containing the water to be raised between them, 



176 



SCENERY ALONG THE NILE. 



into which they drop a leathern basket or bucket 
attached to each of their hands by a rope, and as it 
fills at once, they lift it by stretching the ropes to a 
horizontal position, and empty it by slackening the 
rope on the side over which the water is poured. In 
this way a l.vrge quantity of water is easily and quickly 
raised. Bat the more common instrument is the shad- 
oofs which closely resembles the old-fashioned well- 
sweep and pole, though much smaller, except the 
leathern bucket or basket, while the weight is com- 
posed of a large piece of dry Kile mud. It usually 
takes four of these instruments to raise the water from 
the river to the top of the bank, a distance of 
thirty or forty feet. One raises it from the river's 
edge, and pours it into a trench above him, where 
another shadoof takes it, and so on to the top, each 
person raising it from eight to ten feet. You see in a 
day sometimes a hundred of these instruments in oper- 
ation, while the entire clothing of each man working 
them would not comprise a yard of cotton cloth. 

The water runs off into the fields and artificial 
channels, which, by being indefinitely multiplied, 
give it a wide distribution. Any of these little chan- 
nels, as occasion requires, may be closed or opened by 
moving the earth with the foot. Hence the allusion 
in Deut. xi. 10 — " For the land, whither thou goest 
in to possess it, is not as the land of Eygpt, from 
whence ye came out, where thou sowest thy seed, and 
waterest it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs." 

The scenery along the Nile is peculiar; the low 
ranges of hills and bordering deserts, without a sol- 
itary tree or spire of grass, contrast strongly with the 



NATIVE VILLAGES STILLNESS. 



177 



profuse luxuriance arid grateful verdure of tne vaJley, 
with its occasional clusters of stately and graceful 
palm trees, which sometimes, also, for a long distance 
stand in beautiful lines along the river's bank. You 
look upon these glorious trees, now and then inter- 
spersed with the Dom, or branching palm, with de- 
lighted and unwearied admiration. Flowers of various 
kinds may be gathered, and the cotton and castor oil 
plants are often observed. Pigeons, ducks and wild 
geese are very abundant. The ibis and pelican are 
frequently seen, and sometimes crocodiles. 

Prominent along the river banks, on slight elevations 
and generally embowered in groves of palm, are the 
numerous villages, and towns of the natives. There 
are no isolated dwellings, and these villages, at a 
distance, have quite a picturesque appearance. But 
enter them, and walk through their narrow, dusty 
streets, and you find them most filthy and repulsive. 
The buildings or huts are generally made of mud 
and corn-stalks, often without roof, floor or furniture. 
The half-naked inhabitants are lying about in the sun 
or gathering around you with eager curiosity. In the 
larger towns, where a Governor lives, you see build- 
ings of unburnt brick, and a few covered with white 
stucco, or plaster. 

I have often observed, under these clear skies and 
still atmosphere, a profound silence brooding over all 
the landscape. No " busy hum of men," no rustling 
of leaves, no solemn music of forest, no cascade's song, 
not a sloping field of wheat moving in the breeze, 
not a cottage or a fence to arrest the long continuity 
of vision, or break the deep spell of universal stillness. 



178 



CLEAR SKIES — SAND-STORMS. 



The objects that meet your eye look like pictures. 
Over the level field of observation, you see a few 
Arabs walking in their long robes, or riding their 
donkeys and camels, and they stand distinctly and 
boldly out from a back-ground of cloudless sky. 
What beautiful heavens are over us by day ; what 
gloriously bright stars and blessed moon at night ! Aye, 
in this far and strange land, those celestial orbs re- 
main the same as when gazed upon in the presence of 
dear ones at home. Pleasant thought ! And He who 
telleth their numbers, and calleth them all by their 
names, is here and there, and holding over us the ban- 
ner of His love. 

Sometimes, for two or three days together, a strong 
wind from the north or northwest, sweeping over the 
Lybian desert, fills all the air with fine sand, and the 
appearance of the heavens, with the dust-clouds in 
the horizon, obscuring the sun, is that of a prevailing 
storm. You would say there is rain or hail yonder, 
but it is only a sand storm, unpleasant indeed, and so 
severe, at times, as to prevent sailing on the river. 
Occasionally an eddying wind raises a column of sand 
like a water spout, far up into the air. We had rain 
in Alexandria, a little in Cairo, and a few drops fell 
as we were sailing in view of the grand old pyramids 
near the site of ancient Memphis, but since then we 
have had absolutely none ; and I must confess to a 
pleasure in witnessing a succession of bright days and 
glorious risings and settings of the day -king, with de- 
licious moonlight evenings of etherial beauty and splen- 
dor. 

Besides the great variety of boats one sees on the Nile, 



GIRLS AT THE RIVER — THE NATIVES. 179 



and sometimes hailing the American flag and exchan- 
ging salutations with travelers from our own land, a 
very frequent sight is a group of native women or 
giils, robed in their single loose garment of blue cot- 
ton, coming down to the river, to fill their large ear- 
then jars with the somewhat turbid but delicious 
water of the Nile. They walk a little way into the 
river, wash their hands and feet, fill their jars, lift 
the enormous weight to their heads, where they bal- 
ance and bear it quite a distance to the village. The 
women are the burden-bearers in this and all barbarian 
or Mohammedan countries, and perhaps this is a reason 
for their general ugliness in feature and expression. 
There are some exceptions ; but I have nowhere seen 
the beauty which some travelers observe in the 
Egyptian females. In this respect they are inferior to 
the men, some of whom have fine forms and features, 
which their flowing robes and turbans set off to ad- 
vantage. But one's pity is deeply excited for all 
classes of these natives, as he sees how miserable are 
their habitations, how poorly they fare, how filthy 
their habits are, and how destitute they are of in- 
telligence or comfort. Most of them are the blind 
adherents of the False Prophet, without any appre- 
hension of the true method of salvation. There are 
Coptic Christians here and there, descendants of the an- 
cient Eygptians, and better looking than the Arabs, but 
how much of true religion they possess, I have not the 
means of knowing. The fellaheen, or natives, seem 
to be well disposed, inoffensive and indolent. They 
have little ambition or incentive to better their con 



180 



OUR CREW THEIR DEVOTIONS. 



dition, as their taxes are heavy, and their wages al- 
most nothing. 

Our crew number about twelve for each boat. 
They get higher wages than those who till or irrigate 
the soil ; and yet I am told they each receive but 
about twelve cents a day and board themselves. They 
often work night and day, towing and poling the boat, 
and when it gets aground in sailing, as it often does, 
they jump into the water up to their arms and ap- 
ply their backs to the side of the boat and push and 
grunt it off the sand bar. When there is no wind or a 
head-wind, they tow the boat with a very long cable 
to which they attach themselves with a sort of rope 
harness, singing as they track along the shore : "Hay 
halee saw." In the scanty clothing they wear they 
lie down to sleep on the deck, in the hold, or on the 
sand, if the boat stop by the shore. They are nearly all 
Mohammedans, and some of them are quite devout, 
observing the hours of prayer by washing their hands 
and feet and prostrating themselves on the deck, 
bowing towards Mecca and praying aloud, not fearing 
or caring for those about them. Captain Said, the 
helmsman Hassan, and the boatswain old Abdallah are 
often at their devotions, and sometimes we hear their 
voices in prayer before day-dawn. Noticing that our 
dragoman did not pray, we inquired, a Are you not 
a Mussulman? " I am, thank God." "Does not the 
Koran require you to pray as these others ? " Yes, but 
I did up my praying for the trip before I left home." 
Our cook is a Nubian, black as night, and he performs 
his duties most admirably. Our table-waiter, Mah- 
inoud, is a good natured young Egyptian, and is very 



TSElK FAKE— -A FESTIVAL — GHAWAZEE. 183 



proud of being able to speak a few words of French. 
Our crew live in a simple and primitive manner. 
They have a pile of bread on the rear deck, baked 
in small loaves or cakes, sufficient to last them two 
weeks or more. They break up some of it in a wood- 
en bowl, moisten it with water, and then pour over it 
a thin broth of lentils. They gather around it in a 
circle on the floor and eat it from the dish with their 
fingers- They rarely eat anything else except a sort 
of clover, a few onions, and a little sugar cane, w T hich 
they pick up along the shore. Diseases of the eyes 
are exceedingly common, and full half of the males 
have purposely had the forefinger of the right hand 
cut off to avoid conscription, as they have a horror of 
the army. The women are fond of ornaments, and 
you frequently observe rude bracelets on their arms, 
rings on their fingers, in their ears, and sometimes in 
their noses, and if they are able, a wreath of silver 
coins around their heads. 

Stopping a few hours at a considerable town, we 
found an annual festival of some sort, of fifteen days' 
continuance, in progress. The bazaars and market 
places were crowded, and various games, exhibitions, 
and ceremonies were going on. In several thronged 
cafes two or three of the Gbawazee, or dancing girls, 
immodest in dress and manners, were tripping to rude 
music, for the admiration of the crowd. In the open 
air, several groups of men were sitting in circles, and 
some one either chanting or addressing something to 
them ; and I observed one large circle, standing and 
bowing and howling, precisely like the Dervishes 
aire ad v described. 

8 



184 A FUNERAL — AT THEBES A QUARREL. . 



"While passing through, one of the bazaars, I met a 
funeral procession of forty or fifty persons. Several 
men, carrying rude banners, were followed by a num- 
ber of children crying; then the corpse in a wooden 
box, with a shelving roof-like top, borne on the shoul- 
ders of men, preceding a considerable company of wo- 
men loudly wailing with the others. 

We reached Thebes on the fifteenth of February, 
finding the weather oppressively hot during the time 
that we remained there. A day or two before our 
arrival, a falling out between the reis or captain and 
the helmsman, furnished a striking exhibition of angry 
temper. First they expended their wrath in a stormy 
deluge of loud words, the venerable and dignified Arab 
Hassan evidently gaining the victory in argument 
over the young and sturdy Egyptian Said. Then they 
rushed upon each other, but were prevented from 
coming to blows by the interference of others. The 
vanquished captain in a terrible rage, rent his only 
garment from top to bottom, sprang ashore, picked up 
a handful of dust and put it on his head, and lay down 
on the bank, frothing at the mouth and quivering with 
passion. It was a fearful manifestation of anger. Has- 
san returned to his place at the helm, and the boat 
went on, leaving the reis, who soon recovered from 
his wrath, and overtaking the boat, quietly resumed 
his usual position. 



XIV. 

®|rtes— its topics nni) tate— |0ion % liter. 

Thebes must have been the greatest and most mag- 
nificent city in Egypt. Almost as old as the flood, 
situated in a fertile valley, where it expanded to a vast 
and splendid amphitheater, and adorning both banks of 
the Nile, it was in extent, wealth, and architectural 
glory, the flower and crown of ancient civilization. 
Nearly a thousand years before Christ, Homer sang of 
its hundred gates, and some of the Sacred Prophets 
speak of it as being " populous," or containing a 
" multitude." No one can visit its present unparalleled 
ruins, or linger among the gorgeous mausoleums of its 
kings and princes, without being deeply impressed 
with a sense of its former vastness and grandeur. The 
contrast suggested by the present Thebes, a miserable 
representative even of Arab filth and squalidness, is 
overwhelmingly powerful ; and the imagination is con- 
tinually struggling to restore and repeople the city, 
and look upon its splendor ere it was devastated by the 
Persian conqueror. But these mournful relics and the 
uttei desolation of the once imperial metropolis teach 
most impressive lessons. 

" Thousands of years have rolled along, 
And blasted empires in their pride ; 
And witnessed scenes of crime and wrong, 
Till men by nations died. 



186 



THEBES — LUXOR. 



Thousands of summer-suns hare shone, 
Till earth grew bright beneath their sway, 

Since thou, untenanted and lone, 
"Wert rendered to decay." 

It was a warm beautiful forenoon when we came in 
sight of the remains of this ancient and wonderful city. 
The high hills that guard the valley from the vast 
deserts on either hand, receded as we approached and 
exposed an immense plateau now mainly covered with 
green fields of waving wheat and grass. Soon our eyes 
caught over the left bank of the river a small portion 
of the ruins of Karnak, and presently we had through 
our glasses, fine views of massive columns seeming to 
rise up out of the soil, in which indeed they are deeply 
imbedded. These were a portion of Luxor, and ere 
long our boat was made fast to the east bank only a 
few minutes' walk from these stupendous relics. After 
an early dinner we were wandering among them. 
Some of the mud cabins in the present village of 
Thebes are built among and upon the grand old ruins 
of the temple of Luxor. Magnificent columns, covered 
with hieroglyphics, and still standing in their original 
positions, are filled around and half covered with the 
accumulated dust and filth of ages, while some are 
entirely obscured by the wretched hovels that cluster 
about them, and can be seen only by entering these 
repulsive abodes, amid yelping curs, braying donkeys, 
cackling fowls, and dirty Arabs. But as you look 
upon these old pillars of stone, exquisitely chiseled, 
wander through the halls that yet remain, and survey 
their vast gateways and colossal statues, you feel that 
they who built them were men of genius and power. 
One of the most beautiful objects here is an obelisk of 



GRANDEUR OF KARNAK. 



189 



red granite, more than three thousand years old, and 
yet its appearance and its hieroglyphics are still fresh 
and unimpaired. Another of the same size formerly 
stood near it, but now it adorns the Place de la Con- 
corde in Paris. It was interesting to see the Ameri* 
can nag waving over the Temple of Luxor. In that 
Temple our Consular Agent, Mustapha Aga, has his 
home. He is a clever Arab, will treat you with coffee, 
and be happy to sell you something from his collection 
of antiques, consisting of mummies, images, and 
scarabfei,at a good price. 

A mile and a half north of Luxor are the ruins of 
Karnak, the grandest temple in Egypt, if not in the 
world. I visited it just at evening, enjoying as I re- 
turned as gorgeous a sunset as mortal vision could 
desire. Ah ! what varied scenes, what splendid pag- 
eants, what ages of glory and decay, that setting suu 
has witnessed here. It is impossible to describe Kar- 
nak. One must see it, or he will have no adequate 
idea of its astonishing magnitude and beauty. Such 
an array of massive gates, towers, columns, obelisks, 
and statues, is a perfect marvel. Think of a temple, 
including its various halls and apartments, twelve hun- 
dred feet long, and about five hundred feet wide, its 
massive walls rising like palisades, and its immense 
pillars like forests, with avenues leading to it from 
each point of the compass, along which, in some 
instances for miles, were ranged double rows of colos- 
sal sphinxes of gray, red, and black granite. The 
edifice is said to have occupied about seventy-five 
acres, it having been enlarged from time to time, bj 
different monarchs, each striving to outdo his pred» 



190 



THEBES OTHER TEMPLES. 



cessor. In the grand hall there are still standing over 
a hundred columns, nine to twelve feet in diameter, 
and many of them over sixty feet high. All are cov- 
ered with various hieroglyphical sculptures and paint- 
ings, whose colors are still bright after the lapse of 
nearly forty centuries. In one place you see a group 
of Jews led captive by an Egyptian king. The char- 
acters interpreted agree with the Bible account of 
Shishak's victory over the King of Judah. A striking 
verification of the sacred record. Profound and var- 
ious are one's reflections as he wanders amidst these 
sublime relics, fallen columns, broken obelisks and 
shattered sphinxes. What immense processions of 
people once marched along these avenues, gathered in 
these halls, and worshipped at the shrine of Amon ! 
What treasures have the votaries of idolatry lavished 
upon their gods ! 

Grand as are the temples of Luxor and Karnak, 
there were others on the opposite or west side of the 
river, well worthy of belonging to the city of a hun- 
dred gates. Passing some two miles over a fertile 
plain, once a part of Thebes, and you come first to the 
Temple Palace of Koorneh ; farther on is the famous 
Memnonium ; and still beyond is a cluster of magnifi- 
cent temples called Medenet liaboo. I group all 
these together, though each deserves a separate des- 
cription, for they are certainly grand old structures, 
rich in immense columns and various sculptures and 
paintings — buildings, " of which the very ruins are 
tremendous." In the last is a hall which was remod- 
eled and used as a church by the early Christians. 
We could see traces of their transforming work. Here 



COLOSSAL STATUES. 



191 



was a room set apart in a heathen temple for the wor- 
ship of the living God. Here true disciples of Jesus 
once offered prayers in His name and sang hymns to 
His praise. We also, sitting on fragments of its de- 
serted walls, sang sweet Christian melodies, songs of 
heaven and immortality, as we often did in tlu old 
temples and tombs of Egypt. 

On the border of the green vale or plain, not far 
from the temples last alluded to, are two colossal stat- 
ues, in a sitting posture, about sixty feet high, I be- 
lieve ; one of which, that on the right as you approach 
from the river, is the renowned Vocal Memnon. It is 
an immense figure of Remeses, and was reputed to give 
forth a musical sonnd at the rising of the snn. It was 
visited by emperors, philosophers, and poets from dis- 
tant countries being attracted by its tame. One of our 
Arab guides climbed up to a secluded spot near its head, 
where he struck a stone that had a faint and peculiar 
jingle. This may explain the old and wonderful vocal 
phenomenon. The statue by its side is nameless. To- 
gether they form striking objects on being approached 
from the river. 

At the Memnonium there is a still larger statue of 
Remese-s II. once a single block of Syenite or granite, 
but now thrown down and broken into several pieces. 
It is difficult to convey an idea of the vast magnitude 
of this kingly ruin, or of its imposing majesty, when it 
stood in the temple and represented the monarch 
sitting on his throne, his " hands resting on his knees, 
indicative of the tranquillity which he had returned to 
enjoy in Egypt after the fatigues of victory." The 
weight of this statue is estimated at more than eisrht 



192 



TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



hundred and eighty-seven tons. Its width across the 
chest is at least twenty-five feet, and the foot is six 
feet in breadth. It was no easy matter to climb upon 
this huge, but finely chiseled and polished Goliath of 
statuary, prone and broken as it is. If one marvels, 
as well as he may, at the human power that made, 
transported, and set up such stupendous monuments, it 
is scarcely less a matter of wonder how those early in- 
vaders could so thoroughly shatter them. 

Beyond the objects last described, along a stony and 
6andy vale, amid bold and bleak hills that seem a kind 
of barrier to the great Lybian desert, are those ancient 
and splendid mausoleums, the Tombs of the Kings. 
They are excavations in the lime stone hills, and were 
originally closed, and their entrances concealed. But 
the curiosity and cupidity of adventurers from time to 
time found access to them, and disturbed the royal dust 
and treasure that had reposed for ages in those mag- 
nificent chambers. One of these tombs was opened 
in the time of the Ptolemys, two thousand years ago, 
and it was then hundreds of years old. Others have 
been recently discovered. We first entered that 
opened by Belzoni, who took from it a beautiful ala- 
baster sarcophagus, which is now in the British Mu- 
seum in London. We descended into this through an 
entrance about eight feet square, and perhaps fifty 
feet long. Then we descended several flights of stairs 
and entered various large halls and smaller chambers 
at the right and left. The entire length must have 
been three hundred feet. The whole is cut out of solid 
though not very hard rock, and the walls and ceiling 
of the entrance, halls and chambers are all covered 



THEBES MUMMY PITS. 



193 



with elaborate sculptures and hieroglyphics. There 
are thousands of images, large and small, of human 
beings, of animals, birds, reptiles, objects worshiped, 
Kile boats, processions and various utensils. Some of 
the figures are painted, and the colors seem still fresh 
as the j are bright. The other tombs we entered were 
similiar to this. In some we found large granite sar- 
cophagi, but the mummies bad all been removed. The 
apparent freshness of these sculptures and paintings, 
yet so old, was very remarkable. I noticed in one room 
that the work was not complete when the tomb was 
closed. One of the walls was only about half covered 
with sculptured hieroglyphics. It had all the appear- 
ance of a work in present progress, so sharp and well 
denned was every touch of the artist's instruments. 
It seemed as if he had left his toil for the day, to re- 
sume it to-morrow. And yet those last touches were 
made near three thousand years ago ! 

On the other side of the hill we saw several similar 
tombs, evidently belonging to distinguished families 
in the days when Thebes was in its prosperity and 
splendor. 

I was anxious to see some tombs containing mum- 
mies, and expressed such a wish to the guide. " Fol- 
low me," said he. A few of us went with him up the 
slope of a sand hill, where we came to a small entrance, 
just large enough to admit us singly, going backwards 
in a horizontal position. On getting through this, we 
could almost stand upright, and with candles to light 
the darkness, we found ourselves in a room perhaps 
fifteen feet square, and full of mummies lying promis- 
cuously about, to what depth I know not. We could 



194 



DOWN THE NILE. 



not take a step without treading on them. We fol- 
lowed the guide through a small aperture into an- 
other room, and so on, till we had passed through six 
or seven of these apartments, all filled with mummies, 
some of which were partially unrolled, and had a 
ghastly appearance, their limbs cracking under our 
feet, as we were obliged to trample over them in our 
way. We stopped a moment to pull off pieces of 
mummy-cloth, but were glad to get away from the 
strange spectacle, and creep through the little orifice to 
purer air. These pits were doubtless the tombs of the 
common people. The whole region is a vast necrop- 
olis, honey-combed with tombs and caves. In some 
places parts of mummies, skulls, bones, teeth, and 
strips of mummy-cloth lie scattered over the ground, 
and near some rude dwellings I saw evidence that the 
wretched natives actually use the mummies for fuel. 
O degenerate Egyptians ! But why were your ances- 
tors so careful of their bodies, and so anxious to make 
them immortal ? Did they think the departed spirit 
in some far future age would return and seek a union 
with its material form so wonderfully embalmed, en- 
closed and entombed, and that both would live to- 
gether again ? So it would seem. I procured a fine 
mummy shawl of linen, in which some daughter of 
Egyptian royalty may have slept for ages. 

Having bid farewell to Karnak, where the tourist 
lingers last and longest, and cut our name on one of 
its grand old columns, we turned the prow of our 
boat northward, and were soon floating down " the 
River of Egypt." It is emphatically the river, and 
unlike any other, in that it has no tributaries, but 



SIGHTS AND ADVENTUKES. 



195 



flows on as large in Nubia as in Egypt, as full in tne 
far regions of Ethiopia as when it empties itself into 
the Mediterranean. It was pleasant, at a distance of 
six thousand miles, to tnrn our course homeward, 
though we purposed to visit the Holy Land by the 
way. Headwinds and sand-storms very much retarded 
our progress. 

We stopped to see the fine temple at Dendera, 
which is in a tolerably good state of preservation, and 
among whose sculptures is a figure of Cleopatra with 
her son Cesarion. At Siout we made an excursion to 
the ruins of ancient Lycopolis, whose immense sepul- 
chres in the side of a lofty hill, were once the refuge 
and abode of early Christians. We visited the tombs 
at Beni Hassan, which are perhaps as old as any in 
Egypt, dating back to the days of Joseph. Indeed, 
in one of them there is a representation, as some sup- 
pose, of the arrival of Joseph's brethren, or their pre- 
sentation to Pharaoh. Some of the well-hewn, rocky 
chambers are from thirty to forty feet square, their 
walls covered with pictures of the people and their 
pursuits in that distant period. 

Between Keneh and Girgeh we were overtaken by 
a furious sand storm and compelled to tie up to the 
east bank for a good part of the day. I looked long- 
ingly to the summit of the high rocky bluffs rising 
abruptly, near the shore, and had a curiosity to see 
what was on the other side. I had seen no higher 
mountain in Egypt. The elevation must have been 
nearly two thousand feet. I made the ascent alone, 
finding it somewhat difficult to climb the almost per- 
pendicular ledges near the top. I was surprised to 



196 



A TURKISH DIGNITARY. 



find no declivity on the other side. The surface was 
covered with small stones and fossils, having the 
appearance of a macadamized road, while a vast des- 
ert, slightly undulating, stretched away as far as the 
eye could reach. The view was scarcely obstructed 
by sand in the air, and the far vision of the Nile and 
its green valley was a delightful picture that one loves 
to remember. I walked about a mile on the bold 
height and descended through a deep gorge to the 
river. I saw no person, but Achmet assured me it 
was a dangerous adventure, for robbers might be lurk- 
ing in the region of my rambles. 

Many incidents of sights and scenes by the way 
might be given. I will mention one or two. Walk- 
ing through a village, as some of us often did, while 
the boats lay at the bank, and just as we were leaving, 
an intelligent looking Nubian beckoned me to enter a 
building a little way off. I followed him, and another 
servant went for the rest of our party, who were in ad- 
vance of me. We found in an open room, with a carpet, 
a well dressed and fine looking Turk, smoking his chi- 
bouk and drinking coffee. He bade us take seats on 
the divan and in chairs, and w r e conversed as well as 
we were able, telling him Ave were Americans, and 
where we had traveled. He offered us chibouks, and 
treated ns to coffee. His servants took off their shoes 
whenever they approached him. It was a pleasant 
interview. 

While passing through the bazaars of Benisouef, I 
witnessed a remarkable specimen of female rage and 
wrath. A woman came to a shop, and made some sort 
of accusation against the man who kept it. She poured 



SPECIMEN OF FEMALE WRATH. 



197 



upon him a storm of fiery words. As she proceeded, 
she grew fiercer in her denunciations, her eyes flash- 
ing fire, her features all signifying her intense passion ; 
and her invectives of scorn, of satire, of irony, were 
accompanied with most terribly expressive gesticula- 
tions, and fiendish grimaces. She put her fingers to 
her face, and pulled her features into satanical shapes, 
to give additional force and point to her tempestuous 
tirades. A young woman, perhaps her daughter, 
joined her in a similar spirit and manner against the 
poor fellow, who, after attempting to withstand the 
terrible onslaught of accusation and rebuke, was 
obliged to " subside," and tacitly acknowledge him- 
self overmastered. I never saw such a demonstration 
of female anger. No stage scene could equal it. 



XV. 

fjpra&s— ®|t Sti Sm. 

At length we found ourselves floating by the Pyra- 
mids and almost in sight of Cairo. It was a bright 
and beautiful morning when we stopped at the west 
bank and prepared for a visit to the Pyramids of Sak- 
kara. They stand on the border of the Lybian des- 
ert, about six miles from the river, though the distance 
seems much less. Our nimble donkeys bore us 
through fine wheat-fields and magnificent palm groves, 
no w covering the site of ancient Memphis. Old mounds 
and broken images indicate the place where that 
great and splendid city once flourished. The Prophet 
Amos speaks of Memphis, and in Isaiah, Jeremiah and 
Ezekiel it is called Noph, as Thebes is called No 
Observing the prostrate and shattered sculptures of 
gods and men, I was reminded of a Divine prophecy 
and its literal fulfillment : " I will destroy the idols, 
and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph." 
(Ezek. xxx. 13.) The most remarkable statue here is 
a colossal figure of Pemeses II, over forty-two feet in 
length, not including the pedestal. It lies prostrate on 
its face, several feet below the surface of the ground, 
which had been excavated about it. It is somewhat 
mutilated and broken ; the face, however, is perfect 
and beautiful ; an amulet hangs about the neck, and 



MEMPHIS TCMB OF APIS. 



199 



there is a small female figure at the side, probably a 
daughter of this Pharaoh. 

The cluster of Pyramids at Dashour appeared finely 
several miles at our left, and the largest of these at 
Memphis now assumed a huge proportion as we came 
under its shadow. It seems to be almost square at 
the base, around which the sand has drifted, and it 
tapers upward in terraces of large rough stones. 
Achmet, in answer to an inquiry, assured me it was 
impossible to ascend it ; he had never known any one 
to do it. I nevertheless made the attempt and suc- 
ceeded in gaining the top, as did one or two others 
of our party, where the view of barren desert and 
green valley was broad and beautiful. 

The region around these sublime old structures for 
the dead, abounds in tombs of various kinds. These 
pits contain not only the mummied remains of human 
beings, but those also of animals, birds and reptiles, 
objects of worship or sacred interest among the old 
Egyptians. But the chief object of attraction here is 
the tomb of Apis or the Sacred Bull, one of the gods 
worshiped at Memphis. As each successive bull 
died, he was embalmed and buried in a splendid gran- 
ite sarcophagus. We saw, as we wandered in the im- 
mense excavation, over twenty of these sarcophagi, 
exquisitely hewn and polished, and some of them cov- 
ered with hieroglyphics. I measured several, and 
found them about equal in size and form. They are 
thirteen feet in length, eight in breadth and depth, be- 
sides the cover which is about f .wo feet thick, and so 
admirably fitted as to make the whole appear like a 
solid block ten feet high. The lids of most of them 



200 



THE GREAT PYRAMID. 



are partially displaced for tlie removal of the mum- 
mied bull. The interior is finely hewn out, leaving 
the walls about a foot thick. What grand, massive, 
expensive coffins, and all for senseless beasts, yet wor- 
shiped as gods ! From the worship of this idol which 
the Israelites had witnessed here, no doubt sprang the 
idea of Aaron's Golden Calf at the foot of Sinai. We 
returned in the afternoon to our boats, and gliding 
down the river reached the landing opposite Old Cairo 
at sunset, prepared for an excursion to the grander 
Pyramids of Ghizeh the next clay. But some of us im- 
proved the evening in a donkey ride to Cairo, so anx- 
ious were we for letters from home and news from the 
busy world, beyond the pale of which we had seemed 
to be excluded so long. I had dreamed the night 
before of getting two letters for myself and two for one 
of our party at the banker's, and on inquiry there found 
the dream as trulv realized as had been the dreams of 
Joseph. Egypt must be a good place to dream in. 

Another fair morning and a fine ride over the fields 
brought me face to face with the marvelous Sphinx 
and at the feet of hoary, old Cheops. A marked day 
in a tourist's life ! As I approached the Great Pyra- 
mid, I was somewhat disappointed in its size until I 
came quite near it, when it seemed at once to expand 
to a magnitude quite overwhelming. One looks up to 
the vast pile, silent and spell-bound. A sense of awe 
comes over him, with a new idea of the power of man 
and the perpetuity of his works. I could now easily 
conceive how this stupendous monument might cover 
full twelve acres of ground. A single side of its 
square base is more than seven hundred and fifty feet 



ASCENT OF CHEOPS. 



201 



long. Nearly five hundred feet in perpendicular 
height, its four slopes are very steep and seem to blend 
in a point at the top. A party half way up appear like 
birds or squirrels on a church steeple. Each side is a 
vast stairway of stone layers from a foot and a half to 
four feet in thickness, each layer being indented a foot 
or little more, allowing that much for the width of 
the successive steps. It is somewhat difficult and dan^ 
gerous to climb over the higher steps, for if one should 
lose his footing at any considerable height he would 
likely roll to the bottom with every limb and bone 
broken. About forty gentlemen and ladies ascended 
while we were there, but all I believe were assisted by 
the Arabs except myself. Two of these half-naked 
and impudent fellows seize their victim by the hand, 
one on each side, and drag him or her up, begging, 
flattering and threatening for bucksheesh, though they 
have already been paid. 1 determined to go up with- 
out their help. I had scarcely begun the ascent when 
two of them darted before me and bade me stop. I 
undertook to go around them, and they still hedged 
my way. I then pushed them aside with my Alpine 
baton, and went on, but they kept close to my side. 1 
repeatedly assured them that I should not allow them 
to help me, but they persisted in following me two- 
thirds of the way to the top, all the while urging the 
necessity of their assistance and my danger without it. 
They said my head would swim, my feet would slip, 
and my strength would fail ; and they used some 
words both in Arabic and broken English by no means 
complimentary ; but all in vain. They seemed sur- 
prised at my persistence and defiance, and the ease 



202 



INTERIOR OF CHEOPS THE SPHINX. 



with which I climbed from step to step, and Anally 
left me to enjoy the glorious ascent alone. The little 
space at the top, that may be thirty feet square, is 
covered over with visitors' names. The view is wide 
and grand, embracing the Lybian desert and the Py- 
ramids on its border, the Nile and its valley, the min- 
arets and citadel at Cairo, and the Mokattam hills. I 
lingered to read again letters from home, and then de- 
scended, jumping from layer to layer, and passed 
those that were half way down when I started. I 
found it a more difficult task to creep along the small, 
dark, steep, and suffocating passages leading to the 
chambers of the king and the queen in the interior of 
the Pyramid. These passage-ways and the sepa- 
rate chambers, that of the king being much the 
larger, are lined with smooth-hewn granite, w 7 hile the 
whole exterior of the Pyramid is of limestone, the 
blocks being handsomely cut and jointed. The King's 
Chamber contains an empty sarcophagus, where the 
monarch hoped for undisturbed repose, but his sealed 
and gloomy sepulchre was long since entered and 
rifled of its treasures. 

Another Pyramid, Cephrenes, almost as large as 
Cheops, stands near it, and smaller ones are in the 
vicinity, with numerous tombs and relics of palaces, 
among which we wandered and mused, lingering last 
at that marvel of ancient sculpture, the Sphinx. This 
impressive figure was evideiitly hewn from the native 
rock where it still stands. It is in the form of a 
couch ant lion, w T ith a human head looking out upon 
the fruitful valley of the Nile. The features though 
mutilated have a benignant expression. It looks like 



LEAVING THE NILE EXCURSION. 



203 



the representation of some old Egyptian divinity, and 
its colossal form, a hundred and forty feet long, sixty 
feet high, and the head a hundred feet in circumfer- 
ence, must have deepl} T impressed the worshiper, as it- 
does the beholder now. The day of this excursion to 
monuments, some of which perhaps Abraham saw, 
ended our six weeks of life on the Nile. They were 
weeks of strange, novel and wonderful interest. It is 
impossible to describe many events and adventures 
that gave zest and variety to our daily experience, and 
in which the humorous and ridiculous were often blen- 
ded. O rare and unique are the sights and scenes on 
the Nile. The recollection of those winter weeks will 
be a perpetual pleasure. The delightful climate, the 
clear sky and soft moonlight — our hunting excursions 
on shore ; our wanderings in the villages ; our don- 
key-riding to the old temples and monuments ; our 
visions of ancient civilization and of modern life in 
Egypt ; our exuberant spirits unburdened by care ; 
our unwonted relish of table comforts, with augmented 
health, weight and vigor — all conspired to make the 
trip one of overflowing delight and unmistakable 
benefit. 

One more excursion I was resolved to make before 
leaving " the land of Egypt," as it was not safe to 
enter Palestine through the long desert by Mt. Sinai 
and Petra as I had desired. I was very anxious to 
go to the Ped Sea, and view the place where the great 
miracle of the passage was wrought. Only one of our 
party chose to accompany me. The distance is ninety 
miles from Cairo by railway. We started quite early 
in the morning, March 9th, and soon the green border 



204 



DESERT — MIRAGE — RED SEA. 



of cultivated land, buildings and trees, all disappeared 
from view, like receding shores as one goes out to sea. 
I seemed to be in a desert ocean, not entirely level, 
but wavy and ridgy, like a rolling prairie. Every- 
where the horizon shut down upon this sandy, pebbly 
waste. Not a building, not a tree or shrub — nothing 
but the still, awful desert, spread out as far as the eye 
could reach, under the warm sunlight. Once, before 
reaching the sea, a few shrubs, huts and Arabs were 
seen. At length we came into a sort of vale, with 
a sandy, stony ridge rising on our right, while at 
some distance before us, a little to the left, we thought 
we saw the sea, for which we were anxiously look- 
ing. The still water and the plainly marked shore 
appeared to be distinctly in view ; but they receded 
and vanished as we approached, being only a mirage, 
a frequent phenomenon of the desert. But ere long 
our eyes were gratified with a sight of the Red Sea, 
first appearing as a narrow strip of dark green water, 
lying between glittering sandy shores. Beyond it, 
those arid wastes were a portion of Arabia, of Asia ; 
while at our right, close to the margin of the sea, rose 
the long, dark mountain range, called Jebel 'Attaka. 
We had probably passed the site of Migdol ; and Suez, 
to which we had arrived, may occupy the place of 
Baal-zephon. We were now at the shore of the sea, 
whose dark green widening waters stretched far away 
to the south. We found a good English hotel close to 
the shore. 

It was intensely interesting to enter " that great and 
terrible wilderness," and advance perhaps in the very 
track of the marshaled and marching Israelites ; and 



PASSAGE OF THE ISRAELITES. 



205 



as I looked out from a window of my room that even- 
ing, and saw the full moon rise beautifully over the 
sea, I was probably looking upon the very spot where 
the stupendous miracle was wrought, and the mighty 
procession passed through the channel of the sea, 
whose divided waters stood like walls on either hand. 
Above them there, was the astonishing pillar of fire. 
On that deep sea, on those sandy shores, on that dark 
mountain side, its glowing radiance was cast. Right 
there before me, also, the hosts of Pharaoh perished. 
A little south of me, as the Hebrew host were by the 
shore before the passage, Moses in serene majesty 
stood, spoke words of cheer, and said, echoing the 
Divine command, Go forward ! and stretched his won- 
drous rod over the sea, whose waters at once began to 
divide before him. 

A few writers think the passage occurred a little fur- 
ther down the sea. I was struck, however, with the 
topography of the place I have described, as according 
well with the Divine record. The Israelites, with that 
mountain barrier at the right of them, the sea directly 
before them, and also extending up on their left, 
would be completely hemmed in, as the Egyptians 
pressed up behind. As may be supposed, I read the 
inspired account of these transactions there with pro- 
found interest. 

The next morning, as I was crossing the sea in a 
boat, the sun rose gloriously over its waters, as it rose 
on the morning after the passage. I landed on the 
Arabian side, perhaps at the place where the Israelites 
landed. A profound stillness rested upon everything. 
The vast desert stretched away before me. Beside 



206 



WELLS OF MOSES. 



ourselves, not a human being, not an animal was seen. 
We went on a few miles, over sands mingled with peb- 
bles and shells, gathering a few of the latter, till we 
came to a slightly elevated place called the Wells of 
Moses. Here were some brackish springs and pools 
of water, a few stunted palms and tamarisks, with 
other vegetable growths, and two or three huts with 
Arab inhabitants. This is the traditional place where 
the song of Moses and Miriam was sung. The Bible 
account says that Israel saw that great work which 
the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and saw them dead 
upon the seashore. From the point where I stood, all 
this could be plainly seen. There doubtless the de- 
livered and rejoicing hosts stood. There Moses with 
the children of Israel sang his sublime song, and there 
Miriam with the women responded in triumphant 
chorus. There, too, looking out upon the same sea and 
shore, I read aloud from the Bible that glorious song. 

" Our slavery is finished, our labor is done ; 
Our tasks are relinquished, our march is begun : 
The arm of the Lord hath divided the sea, 
Jehovah has conquered, and Israel is free. 

Proud boaster of Egypt ! be silent and mourn; 
Weep, daughter of Memphis, thy banner is torn ; 
In the temple of Isis be wailing and woe, 
For the mighty are fallen, and princes laid low." 



XVI. 



f atelk— gopp fa ^txmUmi 

The Holt Land ! What profound and thrilling asso- 
ciations do these words awaken ! The tender memo- 
ries of childhood rustle like the moving of angel 
wings — the hallowed lessons received from parental 
lips and earliest teachers loved and revered, but now 
at rest, are revived — with many a wondrous story of 
Patriarch, Prophet and the blessed Lord of Life and 
Glory. And now, as the land of Egypt recedes while 
the steamer sails out of the harbor of Alexandria, I 
am pleasantly and strangely impressed with the near- 
ness of that wonderful territory around which so 
many interests cluster, and where I have so often been 
in thought, imagination and sacred revery. O Land 
of Promise ! I have heard of thee with the hearing 
of the ear, but now, by the favor of Providence, mine 
eye shall soon see thee, and long cherished visions 
shall be realized. Our pleasant party of a dozen on 
the Nile, had arranged, with the exception of two, to 
make the tour of Palestine together. 

On the second morning, March 15th, our steamer 
anchored off the ancient city of Joppa — now com- 
monly called Jaffa — and the coast of Palestine was 
in view. We had a comparatively smooth passage, 
and the ladies with us were flattering themselves, at 



208 



LANDING AT JOVPA. 



the start, that they should get through this little trip 
without sea-sickness ; but they were all obliged to pay 
tribute to Neptune. He has never been able, how- 
ever, in his most boisterous efforts, to exact anything 
from me. 

About sunrise we were ready to debark ; and I was 
now for the first time to plant my feet on the soil of 
the Holy Land. We were favored in having a calm 
sea, for in rough weather, so unsheltered and rocky ig 
the harbor, that a landing cannot be effected. The 
ships a week before and a week after us, could 
not stop, and were obliged to carry passengers for 
Joppa on to Beirut. The little boats that took us 
ashore glided along between the rocks to greet the 
city coming down to the water's edge. Situated com- 
pactly on a conical or rounded hill, it has a fine 
appearance, and you see almost the whole city at a 
glance, as you approach it from the west or north- 
west. Its grayish brown stone or plastered buildings 
rise picturesquely one above another, till an old castle- 
like edifice sits like a crown at the top. But distance 
lends enchantment to the view. Enter, and you find 
it like other Oriental towns. The houses are huddled 
together in strange confusion, as if the builders cared 
nothing for comeliness or convenience. The streets 
are narrow, crooked, and filthy ; and as we wound up 
a labyrinthine alley to our hotel, we passed a multi- 
tude of horses, camels and donkeys, waiting to carry 
away pilgrims or goods. Indications of considerable 
thrift and business are not wanting. Persons are 
moving about, bearing burdens on their heads ; and I 
noticed that the people are of a lighter complexion, 




HOUSE-TOP OR ROOF AND BATTLEMENTS. 



flOTJSE Otf SIMON — OEANGES 



211 



more intelligent and better-looking than the Egyp- 
tians. 

It was pleasant to meet Mr. Saunders, an American 
missionary from Rhode-Island, who, observing our 
arrival, had come to invite us to his house. His 
interesting family gave us a hearty welcome. Ascend- 
ing to the flat roof of his dwelling, we had a fine view, 
embracing a broad expanse of the Mediterranean, the 
sandy shore and plains bordered with olive groves on 
each side of the city, and in the horizon on the north 
the ridge of Carmel jutting into the sea. The house- 
top is often referred to in Scripture. The ceilings are 
generally arched, and the top is leveled and plas- 
tered, making a fine airy promenade, and a good 
place for retirement, as it is usually surrounded by a 
balustrade or battlement, and frequently has a little 
room at one corner. Here I thought of Peter going 
to the house top to pray, and where he had his trance 
and vision. Indeed, we could look upon the house- 
top of a building a little below and south of us, by 
the sea-side, called the house of Simon the tanner. 
Thither we soon went, and saw in the court-yard of 
that house, the well or spring, where they say Simon 
obtained his water ; and there too were some old stone 
troughs, or vats, used in the process of tanning. Why 
may not this be the veritable site of Simon's house, 
where Peter was entertained % 

I see yonder where those beautiful oranges came 
from that we had on our breakfast table. The Jaffa 
oranges are famous — large, juicy, sweet and delicious. 
The recollection of them is still refreshing. East and 
south of the city, stretching out on the border of the 

9 



212 



joppa — Its gate — its history. 



great Plain of Sharon, are the most luxuriant fruit 
gardens and orchards I ever saw. As we went out 
among them, the air was laden with fragrant and spicy 
odors. Flowers and fruits covered the trees; and 
such acres of thrifty orange groves, all golden and pen- 
dent with the delicious fruit, I saw nowhere else. It 
was an enchanting sight. Everywhere these tempting 
and beautiful oranges are before you, indoors and out. 
Beyond the gate, for some distance by the wayside, 
were huge baskets and piles of them for sale ; and you 
could get a dozen of the best for a piaster, (foui 
cents.) 

If one wishes to observe what is occurring, let him 
go to the gate in the afternoon, where a motley crowd 
is gathered in the open space and around the fine foun- 
tain. A great many matters are transacted in the 
gates of Eastern cities. There the people meet, and 
as from a newspaper, learn what is going on, talking 
over the things in which they are interested. The 
Bible frequently speaks of this. The King and the 
Court are at the gate. There burdens are imposed or 
lightened ; there the poor are turned aside ; and there 
judgment is established. As Joppa is surrounded by 
a wall and ditch, and has but this one gate, all these 
characteristics may be witnessed there. 

One of the oldest cities in the world, Joppa, in the 
distribution of the land, was given to Dan. In Solo- 
mon's time, the timber which he bought of Hiram, 
was floated thither from Tyre, and then carried to 
Jerusalem. The cedars of Lebanon, for the second 
temple, were transported in the same way. Here 
Jonah embarked for Tarshish, in a vain endeavor to 



peter 9 s visioK— doRcas* 



213 



avoid going to Nineveh, as the Lord had commanded 
him. Much of the history of Joppa is written in 
blood. It has been the scene of terrible strifes and 
cruel massacres. Jews, Romans, Saracens, Moslems 
and Christians have fought decisive battles here. 
Napoleon figured here, too, in no very enviable 
light. It is said that he ordered hundreds of sick sol- 
diers to be poisoned, and had some four thousand 
prisoners of war, taken in the capture of the city, shot 
down in cold blood. 

Interesting as Joppa is on other accounts, and 
especially as the place where the Apostle Peter had 
the remarkable vision, opening his mind to the great 
truth of Gentile evangelism, it has a peculiar sacred- 
ness, also, as the scene of Dorcas's charitable labors, 
death, and miraculous restoration. A " woman full 
of good works and alms-deeds which she did," her 
death was greatly lamented ; and as Peter, who had 
been sent for at Lydda, came to the upper chamber 
where her remains lay, " all the widows stood by him 
weeping, and showing the coats and garments which 
Dorcas made, while she was with them." But a glor- 
ious miracle, wrought at the hands of Peter, and in 
answer to his prayers, soon changed their mourning 
into joy. Tabitha again lived to prosecute her benev- 
olent deeds ; and her brief story, like that of Mary, 
who anointed the head of the Lord, embalmed on the 
page of revelation, lives wherever the Gospel is 
preached. Character is immortal, and beneficence is 
beautiful. I am not aware that any house in Joppa 
is designated as Tabitha's, but a grave and a sarcoph- 
agus have been found in a garden, and as there was 



214 



tiEPARTtJEE — PL AW Of SfiAEO^. 



no positive evidence that they belonged to any one 
else, they were assigned to her. 

It was a beautiful afternoon of a spring day, and 
memorable as our first in the Holy Land, when we 
left the old city of Joppa on our way to Jerusalem. 
The threatening clouds that had hung in the sky in 
the morning, parted and floated away, and a warm 
Syrian sun flashed over grove and field. Our path 
for some time was through luxuriant orange-orchards, 
and between hedges of rank and lofty cactus — a plant 
that often grows here to the height of fifteen feet, 
while its trunks near the ground are sometimes about 
two feet in diameter. Our baggage had gone on before 
us on the backs of mules, and we, one after another 
on horseback, pursued the narrow track often trav- 
ersed by pilgrims and tourists. There is not a car- 
riage-road in all Palestine ; nor did I see a vehicle 
with wheels in any part of the country. Everything 
not carried on foot, in the arms, on the head or shoul- 
der, where the women frequently carry children, is 
borne on the backs of mules, camels, donkeys and 
horses. One frequently meets a long caravan of 
camels loaded with sacks of grain or other articles of 
merchandise. 

We were now on the great Plain of Sharon, o 
whose rose Solomon sang, and it is still blooming with 
{lowers. It extends from Carmel to tlx. south, along 
the sea, and includes the land of the Philistines. It 
was pleasant to pass fields of wheat and barley, and 
see natives here and there cultivating the soil, and 
appearing more industrious than the fellaheen in 
Egypt. Their oxen are small, wearing a long rude 



PHILISTIA LYDDA . 



215 



yoke. Their plow is a very simple and crude instru- 
ment ; its point or share is iron, but scarcely turns a 
furrow one way or the other, only slightly breaking 
up the soil ; its beam and single handle are two sticks 
crossed and fastened together near the x>mt, the one 
extending forward to the yoke, and the other up and 
back, where the laborer may " put his hand to the 
plow," while in the other he carries a goad. 

On our right was Philistia ; and there dwelt that 
people from whom the Israelites suffered so much. 
There were Ekron, Ashdod, Ascalon, Gaza and Gath, 
inhabited by the worshipers of Dagon. 

Ten miles over the plain a little south of east, 
brought us to Ludd, retaining nearly its ancient name 
Lod, a city of Benjamin. It is called in the New 
Testament Lydda. It is now a flourishing village, 
embowered in fine orchards of olive, pomegranate, fig, 
mulberry, sycamore and other trees. Its green and 
fertile fields contrasted strongly with its filthy streets 
and forbidding houses. It had an eventful history, 
with various reverses, under the Komans and in the 
time of the Crusades. It is distinguished as the birth- 
place and burial place of St. George, the patron saint 
of England. The ruins of a Gothic church, erected 
by King Richard, the Lion-Hearted, some of the walls 
and arches of which are still standing, are quite strik- 
ing and picturesque. 

But Lydda is specially interesting as the place 
where Peter wrought a miracle in healing Eneas, who 
had " kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the 
palsy." It was a glad day for the poor paralytic 
when he heard from the Apostle's lips the strange 



216 



RAMLEH— WOMEN WEEPING. 



announcement, " Jesus Christ maketh thee whole !" 
and a glad day too for the few disciples there ; for 
then the multitudes of Lydda and Sharon turned to 
the Lord. 

Two or three miles south of Lydda is Ramleh, 
where we spent the night in a large Latin Convent, 
and found comfortable accommodations. Our drago- 
man, Ibro.him, made all the arrangements with the 
monks, and paid the bills. Our party had contracted 
with him before leaving Egypt, to conduct us through 
Palestine, and furnish everything necessary for our 
journeys. 

Kamleh is a considerable village, and has several 
mosques crowned with minarets. It is supposed, by 
some, to be the ancient Arimathea, the home of Jo- 
seph, that wise counsellor who went boldly to Pilate, 
and begged the body of Jesus, that he might lay it in 
his own new tomb. A principal object of interest 
here is a line old tower, a half a mile west ol the vil- 
lage. It is about one hundred and twenty feet high, 
built of hewn stones, and adjoining it are ruined 
walls and arches of an immense edifice that miffht 
have been a church, mosque or khan, under which, are 
vast and solidly built subterranean vaults. In the 
morning I ascended to the top of the tower, from 
which the view is wide and attractive. From the 
mountains to the sea, and from Carmel to the desert, 
the broad plain of Sharon is spread out in a diversi- 
fied surface of gray villages and green fields and 
groves. 

In a cemetery near by I noticed a number of wo- 
men around a grave weeping and sighing, and waa 



t 



LATRON VALLEY OF AJALON. 



219 



reminded of what was said of Mary : " She goeth unto 
the grave to weep there !" 

Two or three hours brought us near the mountains 
of Judea, and to the village of Latron, on the slope of 
a hill, and supposed to be the home of the penitent 
thief. A mile north of it is Amwas, a conspicuous 
place, and long regarded as the Emmaus where our 
Lord appeared to the two disciples, but it is too far 
from Jerusalem to be the site of that village. We 
had passed near some very interesting localities on 
our right, where Samson performed many of his mar- 
vellous exploits, and where David slew the giant 
Goliath. We must have been near the brook where 
the ruddy stripling selected his five smooth pebbles. 
And perhaps we were in sight of the spot where Philip, 
coming from Samaria, joined the Eunuch, and they 
continued on in a southwesterly direction to the place 
of baptism. A Presbyterian missionary — the author 
of "The Land and. the Book" — who has traveled 
through there says, " There is a fine stream of water 
called Murubbah, deep enough, even in June, to sat- 
isfy the utmost wishes of our Baptist friends." 

Entering the mountainous region, we found the 
country hilly, rocky, and rough, all the way to Jeru 
salem. The Syrian horses are sure footed, but some 
of the paths are " slippery," and along precipices 
where a fall might be fatal, reminding us forcibly of 
various Scripture allusions. On our left was the vil- 
lage of Ajalon, and we were passing along the valley 
where the moon stood still at the command of Joshua, 
during the great battle when he routed the hosts of 
the five kings at Gibeon, and drove them over Beth- 



220 KIRJATH-JEARIM — MIZPEH — OLIVET. 



horon and down the valleys here. We now stopped 
an honr in the shade for our noon lunch. 

Going up and down the mountains that are round 
about Jerusalem, we come to a village nestled on a 
hill-side with adjacent olive groves and terraced slopes. 
This is Kirjath-jearim, where the Ark rested twenty 
years, after it was brought hither from Beth-shemesh. 
The house of Abinadab was on this hill, whence Da- 
vid at the end of that period took the Ark to Jerusa- 
lem along the path we were traveling. Yery likely 
Emmaus was near this place. 

We were now, on each successive mountain-top, 
hoping to catch a glimpse of the City of the Great 
King — the city we had long desired to see. Crown- 
ing an eminence on our left, we saw a white wely or 
tomb. It was Mizpeh, and the tomb of Samuel. — 
Near this is Ebenezer, where the prophet placed the 
memorial stone, " Hitherto hath the Lord helped us !" 

Anxious to get sight of the sacred city, I hastened 
on in advance, and overtook another party of Ameri- 
cans and English just as we got a glimpse of a hill 
whose slope was dotted with olive trees and whose 
summit was crowned with a cluster of buildings, one 
of which looked like a church with a spire. " The 
Mount of Olives ! " we exclaimed, and such it wae. 
A moment after, as we advanced, we saw domes and 
minarets intervening, and then the massive walls and 
gate of a city not more than half a mile distant. O, 
sacred hour! Moment never to be forgotten! A 
blessed memorial day ! when at half-past three o'clock 
in the afternoon, my eyes were actually resting upon 
Jerusalem and Olivet ! What wonderful associations 



JERUSALEM. 



221 



do these names and places awaken ! and what po wer- 
ful and tearful emotions thrilled my heart as now they 
were really before me ! Such a moment, such soul- 
thoughts and feelings, cannot be described. I dis- 
mounted, sat down by an old wall, and with these 
sacred objects before me, read from my pocket Bible 
portions of the Psalms and of the New Testament, 
referring so beautifully, tenderly, and gloriously to 
this city of Mount Zion and of God. Our party came 
np, and presently entering the Jaffa or Bethlehem 
gate, we began to realize the fulfillment of the beauti- 
ful passage we had so often repeated : " Our feet shall 
stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem ! " 

9* 



i 



XVII. 



% fall Citj— ©litict— Calbarj. 

Ibrahim had sent on in advance one of his assistants, 
to secure quarters for us in Jerusalem. He made 
arrangements for us at the Mediterranean Hotel, the 
best, perhaps, of the two or three in the city. It is 
kept by a German, I believe, named Hauser, who 
speaks tolerable English, and charges only a quarter 
of a dollar for an extra cup of tea. 

On entering the Jaffa Gate, and passing through the 
massive wall, it was a thrilling thought that I was in 
the City of the Great King, and on Mount Zion ! On 
the right was the Tower of David — the Hippicus of 
Josephus — an ancient building resembling a castle, 
and is one of the few relics of the former city. AVe 
were now in the narrow paved Street of David, filled 
with a motley crowd of Arabs, Turks and Franks, 
intermingled with camels and donkeys, among which 
we worked our way as best we could. Going east- 
ward and descending the hill for a short distance, we 
turned to the left into Patriarch Street, a dirty lane, 
with small shops on each side, and in a short time 
were at our hotel on the left. Ascending two or three 
nights of stairs, and going over a portion of the roof 
of the building, and then descending a few stone 
steps, I was at length conducted to- my room. Look- 



VIEW FROM THE HOUSE TOP. 



225 



ing out at the west window, I saw, directly beneath, 
the ancient Pool of Hezekiah, an immense tank of 
water, about two hundred and fifty feet long and one 
hundred and fifty wide, with the Greek convent on 
the north of it. This great reservoir corresponds to 
the account that Hezekiah " made a pool and a con- 
duit, and brought water into the city." 

I lost little time in ascending to the roof, for a view 
of the city and its surroundings. u Jerusalem is 
builded as a city that is compact together." It occu- 
pies a high broad eminence, and is surrounded on all 
sides, but the northwest, by deep valleys. The west- 
ern part of the city is considerably higher than the 
eastern. The wall enclosing the city is lofty, and of 
an imposing appearance, its entire circuit being about 
two miles and a half. The four sides, though not 
regular, are easily made out, and nearly face the car- 
dinal points. Mount Zion, much the largest elevation 
in the city, embraces its south-western portion. East 
of this, across a depression called the Tyropoean 
valley, is Moriah, the seat of Solomon's temple, now 
occupied by the Mosque of Omar, whose lofty and 
brilliant dome makes a striking appearance. Calvary 
is just north by a little east of Zion, and not far from 
my place of observation. The church of the Holy 
Sepulchre, a large irregular edifice, is built over it 
Its principal dome is partially deca} 7 ed. The Moun 
of Olives seems to rise up beautifully from the east- 
ern edge of the city, but the deep Yalley of Jehosha- 
phat intervenes. The summit of Olivet is nearly two 
hundred feet higher than the city, and is crowned 
with a mosque, and the Church of the Ascension. 



226 



JERUSALEM. 



The setting sun illumines its western slopes, dotted 
with olive trees, and disclosing occasional terraces, 
and three paths leading over it toward Bethany. Am 
I really looking upon those sacred localities? It is a 
wonderful view — it is a holy hour — a time when unut- 
terable thoughts and powerful emotions thrill the soul. 
"Within my range of vision, even near me, what 
strange, solemn, and all- important events have occur- 
red ! 

The next morning — the Jewish Sabbath — was clear, 
bright and balmy, and I saw the sun rise gloriously 
over the Mount of Olives. A few of us had arranged 
for an early walk to that sacred mount. Along 
Patriarch Street, a little to the north, and then turning 
to the right near Calvary, we went down the Via 
Dolorosa, passing, just before we arrived at St. Ste- 
phen's Gate, a number of miserable lepers, sitting by 
the wayside begging. Going through the gate, we 
soon descended a steep declivity, passing the spot 
where it is said the martyr Stephen was stoned to 
death, and crossing by a bridge the bed of the brook 
Kedron at the bottom of the valley of Jehoshaphat, 
we began to ascend the slope of Olivet. An enclosure 
at our right, containing a number of very old and 
venerable looking trees, represents the Garden of 
Gethsemane — a sweet and holy spot, which we long 
to enter, but pass on, ascending the hill by the central 
path. Near an old dilapidated stone building, evi- 
dently once the tower of a vineyard, we paused to 
rest, and look back upon the city. Alone, and the 
sweet stillness of the morning about us, at the sugges. 
tion of Mrs. J. E. Tyler, of Louisville, whose interest 



MOUNT OF OLIVES. 



227 



with that of her husband in those sacred places was 
always deep and tender, Rev. "William Howe, of Bos- 
ton, led us in prayer, as we kneeled upon the slope 
where Jesus had often kneeled and spent even whole 
nights in prayer. 

Olivet is a somewhat high hill or range of hills, run- 
ning north and south, exceeding the extent of Jerusa- 
lem, of a grayish appearance, interspersed with green 
patches, and here and there a sprinkling of olive trees, 
grouped in clusters or standing in isolation, and cov- 
ered with a dense, dark foliage. Limestone walls for 
terracing the slope, and slight ledges of rock serving 
the same purpose, are noticed as we pass along. On 
the central and highest summit are a few small build- 
ings, including a church and a mosque. 

My first view of Jerusalem from the west was par- 
tial and meager ; but now, as I looked upon that won- 
derful city from ttae Mount of Olives, my anticipations 
were fully realized. My previous conceptions of its 
form and appearance were entirely met in the picture 
before me. There it all lay at my feet in one view. 
Inclining toward me, I could look upon its every 
building, see the whole circuit of its walls and the hills 
on which it stands, all seeming to rise up out of the 
deep surrounding valley. O what scenes had tran- 
spired in those localities beneath my gaze — events that 
will thrill the world forever! — the thought of which 
at such a time awakened most powerful emotions. 
^Yhat feet had been where mine were standing — 
what eyes had looked upon those scenes! 

In every direction the view is commanding and glo- 
rious. I climbed up to the balcony of the slender 



228 



VIEW FROM OLIVET. 



minaret, and with rapt eagerness and delight surveyed 
the far-spreading, varying, and wondrously strange 
panorama. On the west all Jerusalem and its envi- 
rons are seen, and in the horizon beyond there is a 
line of brown hills about equal in elevation to those 
occupied by the city. Casting the eye on northward, 
you see a conspicuous eminence crowned with a tower. 
It is Neby Samwil, the ancient Mizpeh, and Gibeon 
adjoins it on the right. More directly north appears 
Mount Scopus among groves of olive. Turning the 
eye southward of Zion, the Hill of Evil Council rises 
up from the valley of Hinnom with a rocky and ter- 
raced slope. Beyond it is the green plain of Rephaim, 
and still further the Convent of Elias on a ridge by 
the path leading to Bethlehem. Looking now to the 
east a wider prospect is unfolded, and the eye rests on 
objects of deep and thrilling interest. Just down at 
my right, behind a ridge or spur of the hill, is dear 
and beloved Bethany. Almost at my feet begins the 
" wilderness of Judea," gradually declining in a series 
of bleached and barren hills, and desolate glens, for 
ten or twelve miles, when it drops into the low valley 
of the Jordan. A long extent of this valley is visible, 
and the course of the river can be traced by the dark 
line of verdure on its banks. The valley expands 
toward the south into a white plain which terminates 
at the Dead Sea, a portion of which is distinctly seen, 
its waters sparkling in the morning sunlight. Beyond 
the Jordan valley rises the long range of Moab moun 
tains resting like a dark wall against the sky. There, 
" over against Jericho," are Pisgah and Nebo ; and 
though they cannot now be indentified, I doubtless 



* 



PATHS OF JESUS — HOUSE OF PILATE. 



229 



looked upon the very summits where Moses was per- 
mitted to behold all the Land of Promise, and whence 
his glorious spirit went up "to the Mount of God. 

O Sacred Olivet ! The whole mount is instinct with 
memories of Jesus. How often His eyes looked upon 
it and His feet pressed it. He trod these paths as He 
went over it to the sweet home of His friends. Here 
Pie came for seclusion and rest. u In the day-time He 
was teaching in the temple, and at night He went out 
and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of 
Olives." Here how many times the sun went down 
beneath His gaze, and the leaves rustled in the zephyrs 
that fanned His holy brow. Here, in some shady 
retreat or that olive garden with His few disciples 
seated about Him, how often He spoke to them words 
of heavenly wisdom and power. What sermons and 
parables were here uttered by the Divine Man ! Here 
He taught, and prayed, and wept. The scene of the 
Agony and Betrayal was here ; and just over this 
summit where he ascended to heaven His feet for the 
last time touched the earth. O what a privilege to 
trace His pathways here — to kneel where He knelt 
and suffered — to think of His tears and His tri- 
umph — and, best of all, to share His love ! As we 
return, the sacred city lies before us in the morning 
light like a picture set in a frame of mountains that 
are round about Jerusalem, as the Lord is around 
about His people. 

After breakfast, we went to the house of the present 
governor, said to occupy the site, and to be actually 
composed in part, of the Palace of Pilate. It is on the 
Yia Dolorosa, directly north of the Mosque of Omar, 



230 



TEMPLE AREA — VIA DOLOROSA 



From the roof we had a fine view of the great mosque 
and its broad area, once the Temple grounds, and now 
like a beautiful green Park, surrounded by massive 
and lofty walls, with evergreen trees, the dusky olive 
and tapering cypress, growing here and there, while 
marble fountains, airy arches, richly carved pulpits 
and prayer-niches, and graceful miniature cupolas, 
give beauty and variety to the fairy scene. Moslems 
were leisurely walking over the grounds and the 
broad platform of the mosque, or praying at some 
shrine; but we were not permitted to enter the sacred 
enclosure. 

Descending to the Yia Dolorosa, we go up to the 
Church of the Holy Sephulchre. This is pointed out 
as the way our Saviour went from the House of Pilate 
to the place of crucifixion. Two old arches, now filled 
up, are shown in the wall where was the Santa Scala^ 
or staircase, clown which Jesus went from the Judg- 
ment Hall. These marble steps or stairs are said to 
have been removed to Koine. Nearly opposite is the 
Church of the Flagellation, or Crowning with Thorns, 
marking the place where Christ was scourged. A few 
rods westward, the Ecce Homo Areh spans the street, 
desginating the spot where Pilate, presenting Jesus to 
the people, said, " Behold the Man !" And so, as we 
proceed along the gloomy, narrow street, turning now 
to the left and then to the right, we are shown various 
other stations — the place where the Saviour fainted, 
and made an impression in the wall of a house, as he 
leaned against it — the spot wmerehe met his mother — 
the house of St. Yeronica, a woman who came out and 
presented her handkerchief to Jesus, that he might 



HOLY PLACES. 



231 



wipe his bleeding brow — the place where Simon took 
the cross — and that where our Lord said to the women 
who followed him weeping, " Daughters of Jerusalem, 
weep not for me." The Latin pilgrims regard this 
street and these stations with the greatest interest, 
seeming to believe every superstitious tradition. Not 
in this street as it now is, but quite near it, possibly, 
our blessed Lord did go from Pilate's hall to Golgotha, 
along a sorrowful way, bearing his cross; and the 
characteristics of this Yia Dolorosa serve to give ap- 
propriateness to its name. 

Of all holy places in Jerusalem, or on the earth, the 
spot where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb in 
which he was buried, if certain of their identity, must 
be regarded with the deepest interest. Notwithstand- 
ing all the doubts cast upon the traditional sites 
of these sacred places, I am inclined to regard them 
as the true ones. There is nothing about them that 
absolutely forbids their being such. No other sites 
have been discovered, answering so well to the Divine 
Record. These have been almost universally regarded 
as the real localities, from a very early date. The 
principal objection to them is that they are within the 
present city, and probably were within the city when 
the great events occurred. But a discovery, made a 
few days before I was in Jerusalem, tends to confirm 
the traditional sites as the true ones. An excavation 
had been made, a little distance southeast of the Holy 
Sepulchre, and after reaching a depth of more than 
twenty feet, a portion of what appears to be an old 
city wall, was found. After a personal inspection of 
its large beveled stones, its thickness and its direction. 



232 



CALVARY. 



we could not hesitate in regarding it as a portion of 
the wall described by Josephus as enclosing that part 
of the city. If so, then Calvary, where Jesus suffered 
without the city and the gate, might have been 
exactly where tradition places it. The sepulchre was in 
a garden near by, or as John says, " in the place where 
He was crucified." The Church of the Holy Sepul- 
chre, a very large edifice, covers both Calvary and 
the Tomb. It contains various chapels, and is occu- 
pied by different sects. The entrance is on the south 
side, from a paved court, where persons are selling 
beads and other souvenirs to the pilgrims. A motley 
crowd are within, priests and pilgrims, apparently 
from all the world. We observe a number of persons 
kneeling around and fervently kissing a marble slab 
elevated a little above the floor. This Stone of Unc- 
tion is said to be that on which the body of Jesus, 
when taken down from the cross, was laid and pre- 
pared for burial. At the right of this, in order 
to reach the summit of Calvary, we ascend a flight of 
eighteen steps, and soon come to an altar where per- 
sons are reverently kneeling at the place where, it is 
affirmed, the cross stood. A large circular silver plate 
with an opening in the center is over or around the 
spot; and putting my hand through it and into the 
hole where the cross was inserted, I could feel on its 
sides the native rock ; and by removing a board near 
by a considerable portion of the rock could be seen. 
Entering an apartment below at the base of the rock 
I saw a still larger portion of it in its rough state, and 
noticed a perpendicular fracture, as if it had been rent 
at the crucifixion. All around this rocky Golgotha 



THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 



233 



are numerous little chapels, altars and stations mark- 
ing events and positions of persons at the time of the 
crucifixion. You are shown the Chapel of Adam, 
enclosing his tomb ; the Chapel of Helena, with the 
cave where she found the cross, nails, and crown of 
thorns ; and a spot called the Center of the Earth. 
Caring little for these traditions which attract the 
ignorant and superstitious, I was yet impressed with 
the reality of Calvary itself and its wonderful scenes. 
This may be the true locality ; and if so, here stood 
the cross on which the Lord of Life hung in agony 
and death. What a mingled throng around this hill 
and from the adjacent w r all watched the strange 
drama — sorrowful women at the cross — priests and 
soldiers mocking, and passers-by railing — the penitent 
thief asking and receiving the remembrance of Jesus 
— the beloved disciple catching His last words of 
affection — the centurion, impressed by the darkness 
and earthquake, and more deeply by the Dying Vic- 
tim, exclaiming, "Truly this was the Son of God 
and crowds of beholders smiting their breasts as they 
retired from the unparalleled scene. O Calvary ! 
there is no spot like thee — no mountain-top so near 
heaven as thy summit ! Thou art indeed the center 
of the world. 

I was next anxious to " see the place where the 
Lord lay I" The Holy Sepulchre is about a hundred 
and twenty feet northwest of Calvary, and directly 
under the large dome of the Church. For its protec- 
tion a small building of stone has been erected over 
it. The entrance is on the east, where the little Chapel 
of the Angel seems to be a sort of vestibule of the 



234 



THE TOMB OF JESUS. 



Tomb, which is entered by a low small aperture. 
Stooping, as Peter did when he looked into it, I went 
through the door and could then stand erect. Four 
or five others were in the tomb, some of them kneel- 
ing and kissing the marble slab that covered the niche 
on the right or north side, an altar-like recess, where 
the body of our Lord was laid. A Greek priest was 
standing at the west end sprinkling holy water on 
those near him, and giving each visitor a flower from 
his large bouquet. Over the sepulchral couch hung 
several little pictures and bas-reliefs of the resurrec- 
tion, and in the vaulted ceiling more than forty lamps 
of gold and silver were burning, while sweet incense 
perfumed the air. Notwithstanding all this bedizen- 
ing array, and the constant crowding in of poor, filthy 
pilgrims on their knees, bowing their faces to the cold 
marble, and dropping their tears upon it, I experi- 
enced a feeling of awe and solemnity that words can- 
not describe, arising from the reflection that possibly 
I was in the veritable tomb of Jesus — into which Jo- 
seph and Nicodemus bore His mangled body — where 
it reposed over the Sabbath — where it awoke to life — 
where angels, the Marys, and apostles had been ! It 
would be a far greater satisfaction to behold this 
" garden in its simpler guise," like that on the slope 
of Olivet. 

"0 if the lichen now were free to twine 

O'er the dark entrance of that rock-hewn cell, 

Say, should we miss the gold-encrusted shrine, 

Or incense fumes' intoxicating spell ? 

Would not the whispering breeze as evening fell, 

Make deeper music in the palm-trees' shade, 

Than choral prayer or chanted ritual's swell. 

Can the proud shafts of Helena's colonnade 
Match thy time-hallowed stews, Gethsemane's holy glade T* 



XVIII. 



% Walk Ihont %m— $#ng. 

After leaving the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
where the various sects were holding services amid 
the confusion of motley throngs, and under the 
blazonry of gilded altars, images, and burning candles, 
I went to a synagogue on the eastern slope of Mount 
Zion. The large irregular building, having a main 
audience-room and adjoining apartments, was well 
filled with old men, young men and boys ; and the 
services of the day — it was the Jewish Sabbath — ■ 
were proceeding. A person occupying a seat at the 
eastern end of the room, was addressing the assembly 
in an earnest and fluent manner. Near the middle 
of the room there was an elevated platform, enclosed 
by a railing, occupied by half-a-dozen Rabbis, vener- 
able looking men. In the galleries above, and behind 
lattices, the faces and forms of women could be dimly 
seen. These, I suppose, were the younger women, as I 
noticed a number of elderly females sitting on the steps 
and seats outside of a door, not far from the speaker. 
Most of the worshipers had books, and occasionally 
made mumbling responses during the service, and 
sometimes nodded their assent to what was said. The 
preacher finished his discourse in fifteen or twenty 
minutes, and then rose and offered a prayer, which 



2S6 A SYNAGOGUE— WAlLifrG-PLACE. 



he uttered rapidly with his face turned to the wall. 
A copy of the Law was now taken from a recess and 
carried in a small procession around the congregation 
who seemed to regard it with great reverence, and some 
even kissed the vesture that enclosed it. The chant- 
ing was general, but not very musical. Indeed, 
scarcely anything there seemed like devotion. The 
assembly was listless and inattentive. Many of the 
men, with their flowing garments, tarbushes or hats, 
and long gray beards, had a dignified and solemn 
aspect; but their features were hard and stoical — 
heartless men they seemed, and ready, if Jesus were 
there, to say as did their ancestors, " Away with 
him ; crucify him !" 

Not far from here, in the Tyropcean, at the base of 
an ancient wall, the western boundary of the Temple 
area, is the Wailing-Place of the Jews, where they 
come every Friday afternoon, to lament over the ruins 
of their Temple. It is an old custom, and a piteous 
spectacle, to see them with mournful prayers and 
solemn wailings, pressing their foreheads and lips to 
those venerable stones, that might once have been in 
the foundation of their ancient Sanctuary. They 
take up the prayer of Isaiah, and in their Hebrew 
tongue pour it out in sad strains : " Be not wroth 
very sore, O Lord ! neither remember iniquity for- 
ever ; behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy 
people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness ; Zion is a 
wilderness ; Jerusalem is a desolation. Our holy and 
our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is 
burned up with fire ; and all our pleasant things are 
laid waste." Large numbers of men and women, and 



RELICS Off Att ARCH — JEWS* QUARTER. 2S9 

wandering Jews from all the earth, come and drop 
tbeir tears at this place of wailing. It was raining and 
muddy when I was there, and only a few were pre- 
sent. 

" Oh ! weep for those that wept by Babel's stream ; 
Whose shrines are desolate, whose land's a dream ; 
Weep for the harp of Judah's broken shell ; 
Mourn— where their God hath dwelt the godless dwell." 

A little south of this spot, and in a portion of the 
same ancient wall, there is a remarkable ruin, discov- 
ered and described some years ago by Dr. Robinson. 
It is the spring of a great arch, composed of immense 
hewn stones, and supposed to be a portion of the 
grand bridge over the Tyropoean, connecting Mount 
Zion with the Temple. May not this wonderful bridge 
have been " the ascent by which Solomon went up to 
the house of the Lord," and which so excited the 
astonishment of the queen of Sheba ? A personal 
inspection of these prodigious stones convinces you 
of their great antiquity and of the sublime vastness 
of the structure of which they are the remains. 
What grandeur and glory once crowned Moriah and 
Zion! Over this magnificent passage the people of 
God were wont to go to their holy Sanctuary. Solo- 
mon and his royal successors, mighty kings and 
princes of Israel, proceeded across it in state to pay 
their vows to tbe Lord. On this bridge, perhaps over 
this remaining segment of the arch, Titus stood and 
plead with the Jews in the Temple to submit to the 
conquering arms of Rome. 

The Jews still cling to the eastern slope of Zion. 
Their houses are small and gloomy, and the narrow 



240 



LEPERS— CONVENT — TOMB OE DAVtt). 



streets are so filthy that in passing you hold your 
breath and hasten your steps. Here too, near the 
southern wall, is the quarter assigned to the lepers. 
Poor, miserable, and horrid caricatures or fragments 
of humanity, why should they be perpetuated through 
succeeding generations ? But a sight of them recalls 
many a Scripture scene and incident. You see their 
diseased and mutilated forms by the wayside, and hear 
their piteous cries for charity. At night they creep 
into their little huts among old mounds of rubbish 
that has been accumulating for centuries. 

Going out of the city at Zion Gate, near the sum- 
mit of that sacred mountain, we soon come to a build- 
ing enclosed by a high wall. It is called the Palace 
of the High Priest Caiaphas, and is occupied as an 
Armenian church or convent. We are admitted by a 
priest, who shows us, under the altar, what is said to 
be the veritable stone that once closed our Lord's 
Sepulchre. The prison where He was confined is next 
pointed out. 

A little south of this building, is the Mosque of the 
Tomb of David. There is no doubt that David was 
buried on Mount Zion, and this building is said to 
cover his grave. But the Moslems will not permit us 
to visit the royal vault. We are admitted into the 
Coenaculum, however, and shown a large, lone, cheer- 
less " upper room," in which, according to tradition, 
our Saviour celebrated the Passover and instituted the 
Supper. Here He washed the feet of His disciples. 
Here the apostles were assembled on the day of Pen- 
tecost, and were miraculously endowed with the gift 
of tongues. 



AMERICAN CEMETERY — A WAlfe. £41 

A short distance to the northwest is the American 
Cemetery. Climbing up a corner of its high wall, I 
saw a row of graves in the little enclosure, where a 
few missionaries and travelers have mingled their 
dust with that of kings and patriarchs on Mount 
Zion. 

The Christian Sabbath dawns. It is a lovely 
morning, and the bright sun, rising over Olivet, gilds 
the dome that covers the empty tomb of Jesus. A 
Lord's-Day in Jerusalem is a sweet memory forever! 
A few of us had arranged for an early walk. Passing 
out at the Bethlehem Gate, we went down the western 
slope of Zion into the Valley of Hinnom, which 
encompasses nearly half the city, belting it on the 
west and bouth. We crossed to the opposite slope 
near the Lower Pool of Gihon, a reservoir of immense 
capacity, being about six hundred feet long and two 
hundred and fifty broad, and is probably the same aa 
mentioned in Isaiah : " Ye gathered together the wa- 
ters of the lower pool." The massive city wall at its 
south-western angle, crowning the lofty brow of Zion, 
shows finely from this position. Continuing our course 
amidst stone fences and patches of cultivated ground 
interspersed with olive trees, we soon turned with the 
valley to the east. We passed on our right ridges of 
rock, along the steep declivity in which here and 
there tombs had been cut. Peaching a commanding 
position, we sat down to rest under " the shadow of a 
great rock," with our faces toward Zion. Behind and 
above us is Aceldama and the Hill of Evil Council 
where Judas made his shameful bargain and came to 
his terrible end. Before us, lofty and bold, rises 

10 



242 



VALLEY OF HINtfOM — EN-KOGEL. 



Mount Zion. The portion of it in view is now, accor- 
ding to fulfilled prophecy, " plowed as a field," though 
it was once all covered with palaces and dwellings. 

The valley deepens as it descends eastward to its 
junction at En-Eogel with that of Jehosbaphat. Its 
topography is accurately marked where it is first 
mentioned in Joshua in the description of the boun- 
dary line between Judah and Benjamin : "The border 
went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the 
south side of the Jebusite, the same is Jerusalem; 
and the border went up to the top of the mountain 
that lietli before the valley of Hinnom westward." 
Down in the vale before us were once celebrated the 
horrid rites of Moloch under Judah's idolatrous kings. 
"They built" says Jeremiah, "the high places of 
Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to 
burn their sons and their daughters in the fire." The 
lower part of the vale where the brazen image stood 
was well adapted for the scenes of such a. cruel and 
terrible fanaticism. It is a deep wild glen, with bare 
and frowning cliffs and mountain sides above. " One 
cannot but shudder, as sitting in the opening of some 
dark tomb, or beneath the gnarled boughs of some old 
olive, he reads its fearful history." In allusion to this 
abominable practice, or to the circumstance that the 
refuse and filth of the city were cast in here to be con- 
sumed with unceasing fires, the later Jews regarded 
this Gehenna as the symbol of future punishment. 

After singing one of the songs of Zion, we went 
down to the Well of En.-Rogel, which is walled around 
and arched over with ancient masonry and enclosed 
by a small building containing watering-troughs. An 



J£HOSHAPHAT 5 S VALE — POOL OE SlLOAM. 



243 



Arab drew us some of the fresh cool water. It was 
by this well that Jonathan and Aliimaaz, David's ser- 
vants, waited for instructions from Hushai during 
Absalom's rebellion; and here Adonijah, another son 
of David, assembled his friends when he aspired to be 
king in his father's stead. 

We now turn northward, and following up the bed 
of the Kedron, we ascend the Valley of Jehoshaphat 
lying east of Jerusalem and separating it from the 
Mount of Olives. We soon pass a cultivated and 
verdant spot sprinkled with trees, and where cucum- 
bers, onions and other vegetables are growing. This is 
the site of " the King's Garden," mentioned by Nehe- 
miah. It is watered by streams from the Pool of 
Siloam, a most interesting fountain on the western 
slope of the valley. It is a rectangular reservoir fifty- 
three feet long, eighteen wide and nineteen deep. I 
descended its stone staircase to the clear water, and 
thought of the blind man whom our blessed Lord 
commanded " to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. 
He went his way, therefore, and washed, and came 
seeing." ]\ T ehemiah says Shallum built " the wall of 
the pool of Siloah by the king's garden," and Isaiah 
speaks of " the waters of Siloah that flow softly." 
This Pool is connected by an under-ground pas- 
sage with another some distance to the north of 
itj called the Fountain of the Virgin, on the side 
of the hill Ophel. Here several women were washing 
clothes, from one of whom I procured an ancient 
coin, probably a Eoman penny. How interesting, if 
it were the one shown to our Saviour, when He 
inquired, " Whose image and superscription hath it 2" 



244 



OLD STOJtES^-TOMBS IN TH~E VALLEY. 



Perched on a high cliff on the eastern side of the 
valley, is the little village of Siloam, its houses in one 
place clinging to the rocks, and in another half buried 
in the tombs. Our blessed Lord alludes to this place 
in speaking of " those eighteen on whom the tower of 
Siloam fell and slew them." 

We soon reach the south-eastern angle of the city 
wall, and are eagerly inspecting its ancient foundation- 
stones, great and beveled, laid very likely in Solo- 
mon's time, and were a part of the wall enclosing the 
Temple. We cannot survey these venerable relics of 
the past, and think of the eyes that have looked upon 
them, and recall the histories they awaken, without 
feeling that there are " sermons in stones." 

In the deep valley below, between Moriah and 
Olivet, are the remarkable and massive tombs of 
Zachariah, St. James and Absalom. They are not 
properly excavations, but large monuments, having 
vaults within, and from which the surrounding rock 
has been hewn away. The " Pillar" of Absalom has 
considerable architectural beauty, marred somewhat 
however by the natives' throwing stones upon it in 
contempt of the rebel son. Adjoining this is the tomb 
of Jehoshaphat. Above these sepulchral monuments 
that have probably not materially changed since the 
days of our Saviour, an extensive Jewish Cemetery 
occupies a portion of the slope of Olivet. The graves 
are marked by flat stones laid over them. For many 
centuries the eons of Abraham have sought this spot 
as their last resting-place. Many of them have jour- 
neyed from the ends of the earth that they might die 
in the Holy City and have their dust laid here in the 



GOLDEN GATE — ENGLISH CHUKCH. 



247 



valley of Jehoshaphat, where they believe the Mes- 
siah will stand and summon the dead in the resurrec- 
tion. Then those who sleep here will rise at once, 
while those who have been elsewhere buried can only 
reach this favored spot by a painful under-ground 
journey. The Moslems have appropriated this tradi- 
tion, and point to a projecting stone, in the city wall 
east of their great mosque and near their own cemetery, 
on which Mohammed is to sit and participate in the 
events of the final day. Back of the Jewish burying- 
ground and further up the slope of Olivet, aie the 
Tombs of the Prophets. A circular, cistern -like en- 
trance leads down to the various subterranean pas- 
sages and vaults. 

Again we are under the eastern wall of the city, 
and lingering at the Golden Gate once leading to the 
Temple area and perhaps to Solomon's porch. It is 
now solidly closed with stone, but its ornately sculp- 
tured abutments and beautiful arches remain, and 
cannot fail to attract special attention when we think 
of the feet that have pressed hither in the sacred 
past. Proceeding northward among a great variety 
of upright monuments in the Moslem Cemetery, we 
soon enter the city at St. Stephen's Gate. 

Refreshed by our morning walk, we were prepared 
to enjoy a religious service in the forenoon at the 
English church, situated on Mount Zion, near the 
Castle of David and the Bethlehem Gate. It is a 
plain, inviting edifice of mixed Gothic, built of light 
hewn stone, and will seat some four hundred persons. 
A respectable audience was in attendance, and a good 



248 



A WALK TO BETHANY. 



sermon was preached by Bishop Gobat, from Phil. ii. 
5—11. 

In the afternoon we had another delightful walk to 
Bethany, the home of Martha and Mary and their 
brother Lazarus, a place of sweet and sacred mem- 
ories, and honored by the frequent visits of our bles- 
sed Lord. We went over the Mount of Olives by the 
northern path, the same doubtless which David took 
after the rebellion of Absalom. The sorrowful king 
" went over the brook Kedron toward the way of the 
wilderness, and went up the ascent of Olivet and 
wept as he went up, and had his head covered and 
he went barefoot;" and a weeping train followed with 
their heads also covered with earth. Jesus had often 
taken this same path to Bethany. We pause on the 
summit to enjoy again the extensive prospects it com- 
mands, and then descend its southeastern slope. 
Bethany, situated on that slope, is rot seen at first, 
being hidden by an intervening ridge, where the vil- 
lage appears below, partly embowered in groves of 
olive and fig-trees. Is not this ridge or swell on the 
Mount, the place of our Saviour's ascension? It 
would seem so from its position, its distance from Jeru- 
salem, and the circumstances of the sacred narrati ve. 

Bethany is a small village of about twenty houses, 
built of stone, but having a neglected appearance. 
It is situated in a shallow vale on a broken plateau 
of rock environed with fruit trees which give it some- 
thing of pleasantness and beauty. Some prominent 
ruins are pointed out as the house of Lazarus and his 
sisters, and not far from it, that of Simon the leper. 
"We are next directed to the tomb of Lazarus, at the 



TOMB OF LAZARUS — OLIVET. 



251 



northern extremity of the village on the side of a 
declivity. It is a cave that a stone might cover. I 
descended into it by a number of steps, and was 
shown the vault where the body of Lazarus is said to 
have lain. Seated around the opening of the tomb, 
I read to our company the eleventh chapter of John. 
The reading of that inimitable narrative there, seemed 
almost to reproduce the touching, tender, and sublime 
scenes of the great miracle, and to impress us deeply 
with the blessed sympathy of Him who wept as a 
friend, and with His glorious Divinity as being " the 
Eesurection and the Life." 

We returned by the road leading over the southern 
shoulder of Olivet — the great thoroughfare from Jeru- 
salem to Jericho — the same path along which Jesus 
passed on his triumphal entry to the city, when palm 
branches and garments were spread in his way. The 
road climbs the hill till it reaches a point where the 
southern portion of Zion appears in view, on which 
stood the Palace of David ; and there doubtless the 
shout of the multitude burst forth — " Hosanna to the 
Son of David ! Blessed be the King that cometh in 
the name of the Lord !" Then the road descends a 
little, and the city is hidden from sight ; presently it 
mounts again, and passing a ledge of rocks — the stones 
that would cry out if the people held their peace — the 
whole city at once bursts into view — a glorious 
vision, nowhere so complete as at that spot. Then it 
was that Jesus, coming near, " beheld the city and 
wept over it." How vivid and impressive all this 
seemed as by the natural features of the place and the 
inspired narrative we could trace step by step the 



252 



PREACHING ON MOUNT ZION. 



progress of the great procession ! As we descend the 
Mount, a few fig-trees by the way remind us of the 
one that withered there under the Lord's curse. How 
delightful was this walk to Bethany, over ground that 
our blessed Saviour had so often trod ! How sweet 
to visit the village where He found loving friends and 
a welcome home after the toils of many a weary day, 
and to linger amid scenes hallowed by His Divine 
works and gracious words, and by the gentle minis- 
trations of those who loved to sit at His feet ! 

We held a religious service in the evening, and by 
request, I preached in the large " upper room" of our 
hotel. Above twenty Americans were present, and a 
few English and Scotch. The place, the circumstances, 
and the memorable localities near us, rendered the 
occasion one of deep and thrilling interest. The pre- 
liminary services were conducted by Rev. R. B. 
Booth, pastor of the Presbyterian church, Stamford, 
Conn. ; Rev. W. C. Child, of Boston, led the singing ; 
and Rev. R. B. Welch, of Catskill, 1ST. Y., a minister 
of the Dutch Reformed Church, offered the closing 
prayer. With Olivet and Gethsemane immediately 
before me, and Calvary and the Sepulchre almost 
within the sound of my voice, I could preach of Jesus 
only — His incarnation, teaching, works, sufferings, 
death, resurrection and intercession. The hymns we 
sung were — " All hail the power of Jesus' name," 
" When I survey the wondrous cross," and " Jerusalem, 
my glorious home !" That precious Christian Sabbath 
in Jerusalem will long be remembered. 



XIX. 



|mIs jof $ oionioit— pi! Countrj— Jxtatu 

I cannot forget thee, Jerusalem ! There are 
other hallowed places, within and without thy gates, 
around which I would love to linger. But I leave 
them for a few days, for a deeply interesting excur- 
sion to Hebron and Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and the 
Jordan — places with which are associated sweet, sad 
and holy memories. It was somewhat late Monday 
morning, after the preliminaries of getting ready — 
sending off the muleteers with baggage, and selecting 
our horses — that we passed out at the Jaffa or Beth- 
lehem Gate, and our numerous caravan, as two or 
three parties accompanied us, wound along down the 
upper part of the Yalley of Ilinnom, and crossed it at 
the margin of the Lower Pool of Gihon where we 
struck perhaps the boundary line between Judah and 
Benjamin. Ascending the opposite slope, we passed 
on our right, a fine large stone edifice, nearly com- 
pleted, designed as a hospital for Jews, and built 
mainly through the munificence of the late Judah 
Touro, an American Jew. 

We had now reached the II ill of Evil Council, on 
whose summit, at our left, are some ruins, said to be 
those of the country-seat of Caiaphas, where Judas 
arranged and received the money for the betrayal, 

no 



254 HILL OF EVIL COUNCIL— WELL OF THE MAGI. 



and where Jesus was taken before Annas, after his ap- 
prehension at Gethsemane. A lone wind-shaken olive 
tree marks the place where the traitor hanged him- 
self. 

Down in the valley on our right, we see 'Ain Karim, 
the birthplace of John the Baptist. Around us are 
several fields enclosed by wall-fences, and showing 
evidences of intelligent cultivation. Within a few 
years considerable land has been bought up by Jews, 
and others, who have come to this city to cultivate the 
long-neglected soil, and already the desolate hills and 
plains are beginning to bloom. Remarkable events 
are transpiring in this Holy Land, and among them 
the return of Jews to possess their ancient homes, is a 
significant sign. Looking back from the Hill, we 
have quite a good view, from the south, of Jerusalem 
and the western slope of Olivet. 

Proceeding on, we are soon at the Well of the Wise 
Men, surrounded by loose stones, and in the center of 
our path. Tradition says that when the wise men de- 
parted from Herod, they wandered to this spot in un- 
certainty ; but stopping to draw and drink at the well, 
they saw reflected in its clear water their guiding 
star. However this may be, it is interesting to think 
that this is the very path which the Eastern Magi must 
have taken, as they went from the court of Herod to 
the presence of the new-born King in the manger of 
Bethlehem ; and over this path appeared the strange 
star which they had seen in the East, and it " went 
before them, till it came and stood over where the 
young child was. When they saw the star, they re 
joiced with exceeding great joy." 



PLAIN OF KEPHAIM CONVENT OF ELIJAH. 255 



A fertile plain now opens before us, gradually slop- 
ing to the right, or southwest, till about a mile distant 
it terminates in a deep narrow valley, Wady el-Werd, 
or Yalley of Roses. This is the Plain of Rephaim, 
where David conquered the Philistines in several bat- 
tles. In Joshua it is called "the Yalley of the 
Giants " David came out from his fortress on Mount 
Zion, against the enemy here, by Divine direction, 
and with the assurance of victory. Here stood the 
mulberry trees, where be was to " fetch a compass be- 
hind" the Philistines, and rush forth and overpower 
them at the appointed signal. " And let it be, when 
thou nearest the sound of a going in the tops of the 
mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself ; 
for then shall the Lord go out before thee to smite the 
hosts of the Philistines." 

At the southern extremity of the plain we come to 
the Convent of Elijah, a massive pile, or gray lime- 
stone edifice, inclosed by a wall. The monks have a 
tradition, contrary to Scripture, however, that here 
Elijah rested after his flight from Jezebel. 

Passing over the brow of an eminence to a region 
of lofty hills and deep valleys, we see on our left, 
about a mile distant, Bethlehem, the birth-place of 
our beloved Saviour. O favored eyes, to look upon 
these sacred localities ! There are the fields and hill- 
sides where the shepherds watched their flocks by 
night, and heard the heavenly songs and the glad 
tidings. Bethlehem is finely situated on the summit 
of a terraced ridge, dotted with the olive, vine and 
iig. We long to hasten to it, but are to pass through 
it on our return to-morrow. 



256 



Rachel's tomb — Solomon's pools. 



A few minutes further bring us to a deeply interest- 
ing spot — the Tomb of Rachel — a place regarded by 
all authorities as the one where she died aud was 
buried. A small square building of stone, plastered 
white, surmounted by a dome, and standing close by 
the road-side, designates the sacred shrine. These 
" whited sepulchres" of distinguished persons are fre- 
quently seen, generally on the side or top of a hill. 
We dismounted and entered the building, where we 
saw something like an inclosed sarcophagus written 
over with visitors' names. It is a comparatively mod- 
ern structure, but the authenticity of the site being 
unquestioned, we lingered a little while with deep in 
terest, and read from the Bible the touching account 
of Rachel's death. Many years after that sorrowful 
event — for here Benjamin was born — when Jacob was 
nigh unto death in Egypt, he thus tenderly refers to it 
in the presence of his and Rachel's son, Joseph : " As 
for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me 
in the land of Canaan, in the way, when yet there 
was but a little way to come unto Ephrath ; and I 
buried her there in the way of Ephrath ; the same is 
Bethlehem." 

Descending into a valley, we soon reached the 
Pools of Solomon — three immense open tanks or reser- 
voirs, stretching away at our left, partly hid at first by 
a large rectangular old khan or castle. These remark- 
able Pools, excavated in part from the rocky bed of 
the valley, and in part built up of stone masonry, are 
so arranged on different grades, that the second might 
be emptied into the third, and the first into the second, 
evidently for the purpose of collecting much water. 



THE FOUNTAIN SEALED. 



257 



They are rectangular-shaped, varying in size from four 
hundred to six hundred feet in length, about two hun- 
dred and twenty in width, and from thirty to fifty 
in depth, all containing clear water. After lunch un 
der the shadow of the old castle and near a well-like 
opening leading down to rushing and roaring streams 
through vaulted chambers of stone work, I walked 
about the Pools, and in the middle one took a refresh- 
ing bath. They are supplied by a large fountain some 
forty rods to the northwest, but flowing under ground, 
the water is not seen till it reaches the well. 

If Solomon built these stupendous works, and such 
I believe is the general verdict, then this well may 
have been the " fountain sealed," to which in his Song 
he compares the sister spouse, and the " garden 
enclosed" may have occupied the intervening space 
down to the first pool. Here were liis country-seats 
and pleasure-grounds, as described by himself: "I 
made me great works ; I builded me houses ; I planted 
me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and 
I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits ; I 
made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood 
that bringeth forth trees." The site was admirably 
chosen, only six or seven miles from Jerusalem, in a 
region finely diversified with glens and hills and foun- 
tains, and the soil capable of the highest and most 
blooming fruitfulness. The hill-slopes around these 
relics of the old and solemn past, now for the most 
part rocky and bare, have the appearance of once be- 
ing terraced and cultivated to their very summits. 

As I look over the prospect and recall the past, 
what splendid pictures, what regal forms, what varied 



258 



A CONTRAST. 



scenes and striking contrasts rise and glow and pass 
and fade ! The imagination is burdened with the gor- 
geous vision, as the whole scene reappears as it was 
when Solomon was in all his glory. His boundless 
wealth, and his matchless wisdom and skill crowned 
the hills, and adorned these vales with enchanting 
beauty and luxuriant loveliness. Here were the 
blended glories of nature and art — all kinds of fruit- 
trees robed in verdure and bloom, and ripened trea- 
sures of gold and crimson — vines creeping up to the 
summits of the terraced hills, and bending with the 
white and purple clusters — shade-trees and flowers 
adorning the winding walks, along which streams 
murmured and fountains played — bird-songs in the 
tree-tops, and music from instruments and human 
voices in the groves and the villas and mansions 
crowning the summits or dotting the slopes — and then 
comes the king himself in gorgeous splendor, with a 
magnificent retinue — and mirth and melody, feasting 
and dancing, beauty and revelry are in those brilliant 
abodes of wealth and pleasure. Ah, Solomon ! thou 
art making the grand experiment of all this world can 
do or give to satisfy man's longing, boundless nature. 
O thou wisest of men — and most foolish too — what is 
thy solution of the great problem, that has so engaged 
the attention of all ages? " Vanity of vanities; all is 
vanity and vexation of spirit." 

Years pass — and the old king is led a silly captive 
into foolishness and idolatry. He goes down to the 
grave. The voices of mirth are hushed ; the sound 
of revelry has died away. The villas and halls in 
which so many feasted and rejoiced, have decayed, 



HILL COUNTRY OF JTTDEA." 



259 



fallen, and mingled with the dust. The vineyards 
have died on the hillsides. The groves, orchards and 
gardens have disappeared. The olive, the orange, the 
pomegranate and the fig — fruits and flowers — walks 
and fountains — all have faded away, and only the 
bare and rocky slopes, with these stupendous pools — 
relics on which the storms of more than twenty-live 
centuries have beat — remain to suggest, by desolate 
contrast, the ancient beauty and grandeur over whose 
sad blight and death, the " fountain sealed" still mur- 
murs its lone and solemn requiem. 

Early in the afternoon we resumed our journey. 
For some three hours there is nothing of special 
interest to observe, except a continual succession 
of hills and valleys, mostly bare and rocky. Lime- 
stone ridges, gray and dingy, crop out from their 
sides and crown their summits. Narrow glens 
run in tortuous courses through the wilderness to the 
Dead Sea, lying directly east of us, but out of sight. 
Dwarf oak, arbutus, and other shrubbery, very scan- 
tily robe the hills. There are no forests. Gay wild 
flowers, beautiful and brilliant, of almost every form 
and hue, mingle a sweet cheerfulness with the general 
desolation. The soil of the valleys is evidently rich, 
and the remains of terraces on the hills indicate a 
former cultivation. The solitude of this neglected 
and forsaken region, once thickly populated, is broken 
by the drumming of partridges, almost the only in- 
habitants. A few wandering Arabs pass us, and per- 
haps donkeys loaded with dry sticks gathered on the 
hills, and sometimes women carrying bundles of this 
fuel on their heads. 



260 



HOME OF AMOS — HAUNTS OF DAVID. 



We think of the patriarchs and others who traveled 
this path long ages ago. We have no account of our 
Saviour's journeying here, during his ministry, but it 
was probably along this very road that he was borne 
while an infant, in his mother's arms, in the flight in- 
to Egypt. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Solo- 
mon and Saul, often looked upon these mountains 
and valleys. 

Only a little to the left of us are the deserted ruins 
of Tekoa, " whence Joab called the wise woman to 
plead with David on behalf of Absalom." The r e, too 
was the home of the prophet Amos, who kept his 
sheep and gathered wild fruit among these mountains 
and glens, till the Lord summoned him to a higher 
office, and made him a preacher of judgment and 
mercy to sinning Israel. And not far off is the Cave 
of Adullam, in which David often took refuge. He 
was familiar with all these hills and vales, for here 
he kept his father's sheep — here he retreated when 
pursued by Saul — here, amid the strongholds of na- 
ture, he not only fled from his enemies for safety, but 
also wrote some of those beautiful and sublime Psalms, 
in which he sings of Jehovah as his Refuge, Rock 
and Strong Tower. This " hill country of Judea," 
through which we are passing, is holy ground. Every 
footfall is upon soil trodden by ancient worthies, and 
every view around was seen by their eyes. Their 
cities and homes have crumbled to ruin, but the natural 
scenery remains. The everlasting hills, the valleys, 
the rocks, the fountains, are all here. Hence, the 
sacred and undying interest that clusters about them. 
Never poet or minstrel sang such sweet and glorious 



VALLEY OF BERACHAH — BETH-ZUR. 261 



strains as those which flowed from the inspired heart 
and lips of the Shepherd King among these mountains. 

" The harp the monarch minstrel swept, 
The king of men, the loved of Heaven, 
Which Music hallowed while she wept 

O'er tones her heart of hearts hath given — 
Redoubled be her tears, its chords are riven ! 

It softened men of iron mould, 

It gave them virtues not their own j 

No ear so dull, no soul so cold, 
That felt not, fired not to the tone, 
Till David's lyre grew mightier than his throno! 

It told the triumphs of our King, 

It wafted glory to our God, 
It made our gladdened valleys ring, 

The cedars bow, the mountains nod ; 

Its sound aspired to heaven and there abode !" 

We pass close by the border of the Yalley of 
Berachah on our left, remarkable as the scene of the 
great battle and victory of Jehosaphat against the 
children of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir. The 
faith and energy of Judah were inspired in this con- 
test by the sublime assurance: "The battle is not 
yours, but God's." An old stone tower is soon ob- 
served on our right, and a little beyond we come to a 
fountain, surrounded by massive foundations ; nd ex- 
cavated tombs. Several women are washing clothes in 
the stone troughs. The present name of the tower is 
Beit Zur, suggesting at once the Beth-zur of Joshua, 
mentioned in connection with ITalhul, which we find 
a little further along. On the left, as we proceed, is 
an old ruin, consisting of large foundations of hewn 



262 



VALLEY OF ESHCOL HEBRON. 



stone, as though a great castle or other building had 
been commenced there, but never finished. It is 
called the House of Abraham. 

We soon find ourselves in the famous Valley of 
Eshcol, suggestive of vineyards and clusters of grapes. 
And here they abound to this day. Nowhere did I 
see such luxuriant vines, covering the hill-slopes and 
filling the valley. Vineyard after vineyard met our 
eyes as we passed along the stony path, and their 
arrangements immediately recalled one of our Lord's 
parables: "There was a certain householder who 
planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and 
digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower." The 
Eshcol vineyards are thus enclosed with walls and 
hedges, and have their towers for watchmen. Here 
came the spies, sent up by Moses to observe the land. 
Here, by this brook, " they cut down a branch with 
one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two 
upon a staff." Caleb and Joshua were among them. 
They looked upon these hills — walked in this path — 
drank of this flowing stream — gathered grapes here, 
and pomegranates and figs — and these fruits are found 
here still. Here they saw the children of Anak, sons 
of giants, and their walled cities; but the hearts of 
those faithful two failed not. ; and they alone, of all 
their associates, were permitted to cross the Jordan to 
the promised possession. And this very place was 
afterwards captured by Joshua and given to Caleb. 
So much for being hopeful, trusting and brave, and 
looking on the bright side. 

Descending a little further the narrow valley of 
Eshcol, our eyes are soon resting on the citv of Heb- 



CAMP- GROUND 



i — CAVE OF MA.CHPELAH. 



263 



ron — a city that Las had a continuous existence for 
almost four thousand years, having been built " seven 
years before Zoan in Eygpt. " It seems difficult to 
believe one's own eyes in the presence of localities so 
ancient and sacred, while thought runs back, far back 
through the ages, and recalls the men, the histories, 
the scenes associated with these places. But here is 
the reality, positive, evident, unmistakable. This is 
Hebron — this picturesque city, stretching away on the 
slope east of the valley, and divided by gardens into 
two sections. Here lived the father of the faithful, 
and his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob ; and they 
were all buried in that Cave of Machpelah. There, 
too, their wives were buried — Sarah, -Kebekah, and 
Leah ; and I am looking upon the building that en- 
closes their dust ! 

But now we have arrived at our camping ground — 
a gentle grassy slope opposite the city, and overlook- 
ing it. There our tents are being pitched, and two or 
three other parties are pitching theirs near by, making 
quite an array of white tents. 

As the sun still glimmers over the vale, and lights 
up the adjacent hills, we take a walk down into the 
city. We pass the large, ancient Pool of David, over 
which he hanged the murderers of Ishbosheth. There 
are no walls enclosing the city, as at Jerusalem, but 
there are gates at the entrance of the principal streets. 
We enter one, and pass along the narrow alley be- 
tween houses, till we come to the Haram or Mosque 
covering the Cave of Machpelah. This large and 
very ancient edifice is built of hewn stone of great 
size, and beveled like those in the substructions of the 



264 



TOMB OF THE PATRIARCHS. 



Temple walls. It is believed that these stones were 
laid in the original edifice by the immediate descend- 
ants of the patriarchs buried in the tombs within. The 
Moslems have had possession here for a long period. 
They have a high regard for Abraham, and will for no 
consideration allow any " Christian dog" to enter the 
building. As we came up to it, and to the verge of an 
alley of steps leading still further, a number of these 
Moslems stepped in rather insolently before us, to pre- 
vent our proceeding another inch. It is outrageous 
that these sacred places should be in their exclusive 
possession. It will not be so always, nor many years, 
I fancy. They sometimes allow Jews to look through 
a little hole in the wall. I got one of our Mohamme- 
dan guides to go in and bring me a piece of the cave 
or tomb. 

I read here the account in Genesis of Abraham's 
purchase of that field from Ephron the Hittite, and 
the death and burial of Sarah. Then the patriarch 
and others following were gathered to their rest here, 
till the embalmed body of Jacob was brought up from 
Egypt and laid beside his father. Perhaps the mum- 
mied form of the last is preserved here still, and had 
permission to enter been given, I might have looked 
upon the veritable body of Jacob, and seen the dust 
of Abraham ! At Thebes I saw mummies of persons 
who lived probably as early as did these ; and 1 
brought away a human hand that may have aided in 
building the Pyramids, or in planting and gathering 
some of the corn that Joseph stored in the years of 
plenty. 

We returned to our tents just before sunset, and 



TEN I 1 - LIFE — THE STAK3* 



265 



found them ready for us, and dinner prepared. Our 
table is sometimes set within a tent, but more often 
outside. Three of us occupy a tent, each person hav 
in<r an iron bedstead raised about a foot from the 
ground, and provided with suitable bedding. This 
was our first night in the tents, in which we were to 
domicil for the next three weeks. Here began our 
tent-life, in the place where Abram pitched his tent in 
" the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron." Nor did 
we forget the altar of prayer. 

It is our custom after dinner to repair to our tents, 
and at our little table, with a candle thereon, write up 
our journal of the day's experience and sight-seeing, 
read over the history of the places we had visited, and 
press the flowers we had gathered. This clone on that 
first evening in the tent, I went out and looked from 
the dim outline of the city and adjacent hills, up to 
the bright and glorious stars, beaming serenely on that 
Holy Land, just as they did when Abram saw them, 
sitting in his tent-door ; when Isaac went out at even- 
tide to meditate ; when the shepherds saw them from 
the Bethlehem hills ; and when Jesus himself beheld 
them from the Sea of Galilee, and from the retreats 
of Olivet. While all else seemed strange about me, 
those beautiful stars looked familiar and home-like, 
and carried me in thought to dear and loved ones far 
away. O, what varied scenes, in ages past, those 
heavenly orbs have witnessed here ! and beyond them, 
yves, pure and holy, are ever looking down upon this 
jtrange and wonderful earth. 



XX. 

f « jtf % latriarcljs— §d^icl]tm— Par Sato. 

Morning dawns over ancient Hebron. The earliest 
sunlight, glittering from the mountains of Moab and 
the hills of En-gedi, comes lovingly to the doors of 
our tents. The night was unusually cool, and some 
of our party emerged shiveringly from their frail tab- 
ernacles, by no means enraptured with the first com- 
forts of tent life. But those who had a supply of 
heavy shawls to add to their bed-quilts, found them 
quite useful. Breakfast was soon prepared, and we 
were summoned to the table, surrounded with camp- 
stools and chairs, and furnished with mutton-chops, 
chickens, eggs, bread, potatoes, boiled rice, and dibs, 
or grape molasses, sometimes called honey in the 
Scriptures, and tea and coffee. We frequently had 
misA-mish, or dried apricots stewed, which were a fine 
relish. A considerable company of the natives gath- 
ered around us, Moslems and Jews, the latter having 
several qualities of Hebron wine for sale. In the 
meantime, our tents w T ere struck, and the baggage 
piled on the mules, and they started off. After a 
brief ramble or climbing a hill, our horses were 
ready — they had been tied through the night near the 
tents — and we filed away. 

With deep and earnest interest, we look over the 



fi£BEON AND tl'3 ASSOCIATIONS. 267 



city and its hills, to fix the picture in our memory, 
while sacred historic characters and associations come 
thronging to the mind. This is old Hebron, originally 
Kirjath Arba, city of Arba, father of Anak, and pro- 
genitor of giants. Here dwelt the patriarchs. These 
valleys were their camping-grounds. Their flocks and 
herds grazed on these hills. On these slopes and sum- 
mits, on these rocks and rills, the eyes of the venera- 
ble Chaldean shepherd often looked from his tent 
door, under the oak of Mamre. Here Jehovah con- 
descended to converse with him — commended his 
fidelity, and cheered him with glorious promises. 
Here to his peaceful home came the news of his 
nephew Lot's misfortune and captivity, in the plunder- 
ing of Sodom, and hence he set out with his servants 
on his successful pursuit of the enemy. Here, a few 
years later, be was visited by angels, whom he enter- 
tained, and from whom he received the promise of a 
son, and knowledge of Sodom's coming doom. On 
one of those high hills under our gaze, perhaps, he 
plead with the Lord for its wicked inhabitants, and 
from the same height the next morning he surveyed 
the smoking ruins of the destroyed cities. Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob spent most of their lives in this 
vicinity, experiencing, as is common now, various 
events of joy and sorrow. Here Joseph dreamed, and 
incurred the hatred of his brethren. From hence his 
father sent him to Shechem, to see those brethren. 
He found them la Dotham, and they sold him into 
Egypt. From Hebron, Jacob's ten sons went into 
Egypt to buy corn in the time of famine ; and after 
Joseph was known, and had sent for his father, it was 



2d8 



ABRAHAM S OAK. 



from Hebron that the patriarchal family departed for 
Egypt, by the way of Beersheba. One of the six 
cities of refuge, it also became, after the death of 
Saul, the royal residence of David. Here he reigned 
over seven years, and most of his sons were born 
here. The Jews have a high regard for Hebron. They 
cling especially around the Cave of Maehpelah, the 
burial-place of their fathers, dropping there their tears 
and chanting their prayers, as they do at the ruins of 
their ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The present 
population of Hebron is seven or eight thousand, the 
Mohammedans largely preponderating — the rest are 
Jews ; no Christians reside here. The houses, built 
of stone, have a substantial look, are generally two 
stories high, with little domes rising from the flat 
roofs. 

Taking a northwesterly direction, through olive 
groves and vineyards, we soon reached a very interest- 
ing locality and object — the Oak of Abraham — the 
traditional site of his tent, and place where he enter- 
tained the angels. This splendid old tree stands alone 
in a beautiful spot. Under it is the smooth green- 
sward, and near it a well of sweet, crystal water. It 
is a favorite place for Jewish pic-nics and social gath- 
erings. This venerable oak measures twenty-three feet 
around the trunk, and its foliage covers a space ninety 
feet in diameter. Evidently of great age, it is stil 
sound and flourishing. While it cannot date back to 
the days of Abraham — some, however, claim it as the 
veritable tree under which he pitched his tent — it may 
be a representative of his oak, springing from its roots 



GSAtE-SLIPS — OLD ACQTJEDtJCT. 



269 



or acorns, and may spread its branches over the same 
soil. 

What a sweet, cheerful picture, to recall the patri- 
arch as his tent was here, as he communed with God, 
and received celestial visitants ! Adjoining was 
Sarah's tent — and here peace and simplicity reigned 
in those olden days of pastoral life. Here they lived, 
and yonder they sleep — ages elapse — but heaven and 
earth shall meet here again in the great and joyous 
resurrection. I gathered a few twigs from the old 
oak, and we sang under its boughs a portion of the 
hymn : 

" Children of the heavenly King, 
As ye journey sweetly sing — 
Ye are traveling home to God 
In the way the fathers trod." 

Then retracing our steps through the Valley of Eshcol, 
I stopped at a vineyard where some men were trim- 
ming the vines, and got a few slips, which I subse- 
quently put in a little box of earth from the Garden 
of Gethsemane, to take home.* 

We returned to the Pools of Solomon by the way 
we came, with little to interest us, save the thought, 
perhaps, that we were in the same path that Abraham 
took in bis mournful journey to offer up Isaac on 
Mount Moriah. At the Pools we turned to the right, 
and wound over the shoulder of a large hill, following 
the old acqueduct leading to Bethlehem, and even to 
Jerusalem, crossing the valley of Hinnom near the 
lower Pool of Gihon, where its remains may still be 

* One of them lived, and is doing well in its new, far-off nursery, 
having grown thirty feet in the second summer. 

11 



270 



VALE OF ETAM — BETHLEHEM. 



traced. It is of rude masonry, slightly rising above 
the surface, and occasionally, where a stone had been 
removed, we could see the water still flowing in this 
artificial channel. 

On our right, and below us, was the village of Urtas 
and the vale of Etam — a beautiful green spot, some 
of it highly cultivated and filled with fruit trees, in 
bright and variegated bloom, making a sweet con- 
trast with the desolate hillsides. Over the gray sur- 
face, amidst rocks and ruined terraces, we journeyed 
nearly an hour, and — 

" Lo, Bethlehem's hill-site before me is seen, 
With the mountains around the valleys between ; 
Where rested the shepherds of Judah, and where 
The song of the angels rose sweet on the air." 

Yes, that is Bethlehem ; and the bold ridge or elon- 
gated hill, stretching from west to east, on which it is 
picturesquely situated, is in full view. The village 
houses stand along the western part, and the eastern 
brow and chief summit is crowned with an immense 
convent or pile of buildings, looking like some old 
castle of feudal times. The hill-slopes below are 
quite steep, and the curved and stair-like terraces are 
well kept, and covered with rows of thrifty olives, and 
intervening figs and vines. The eye glances down 
hence upon the fields once occupied by Boaz, where 
Ruth gleaned after the reapers, where David, her 
great grandson, kept his father's sheep, and where 
the shepherds were watching their flocks when they 
were startled by the strange and glorious displays at- 
tending our Saviour's birth. 



CHTTKCH OF THE NATIVITY. 



273 



After coming in sight of Bethlehem, we pass over 
a moderate valley amidst olive groves and vineyards, 
with occasional pomegranate and almond-trees, and 
ascend the hill at the west end of the village; and 
proceeding through its one street, along which are 
various little shops and all sorts of people, we at 
iength come to the Church of the Nativity, the large 
building already alluded to. It was erected in the 
year 327 by the Empress Helena, mother of Constan- 
tine, and is one of the oldest monuments of Christian 
architecture in the world. It is supposed to cover the 
place where our blessed Lord was born. We first 
enter a large audience room, dingy and dilapidated, 
through which extend double rows of Corinthian col- 
umns of marble, evidently very ancient, and taken, as 
some think, from the porch of the Temple at Jeru- 
salem. Faded mosaics meet the eye on the walls, and 
above are cross-beams or hewn timbers of the cedars 
of Lebanon. Entrances from this room — in which are 
traffickers in various mementoes — lead to the three 
chapels, Latin, Greek and Armenian ; and from each 
of these there are winding stairways down to the 
Grotto of the Nativity, the great attraction. 

There are various caves, chapels, altars, and tombs 
under this church, adorned with pictures and other 
taw T dry trappings of Romish and Greek churches. 
Here is the tomb of Paula and Eustachia, that of 
Jerome also, and the study where be spent some thirty 
years, and made a translation of the Scriptures in 
Latin, the famous Yulgate version. Here is the altar 
of the Innocents, said to mark the spot where two 
thousand children, slain by Herod's order, were buried. 



274 



THE STABLE AND MANGER. 



After going through a number of long, narrow 
and dark passages, we are conducted to the Chapel of 
the Nativity. It is a low room or vault, thirty-eight 
feet long and eleven wide, and seems to have been 
hewn in the rock. A little recess at the east end is 
the sanctum of the whole building. There, in the 
center of a marble slab fixed in the pavement, is a sil- 
ver star circled by the words — Hie de Virgine Maria 
Jesus Christ us natus est. " Here Jesus Christ was 
born of the Virgin Mary.' 5 Sixteen silver lamps are 
suspended around this star, and continually kept burn- 
ing. In the corner of this Grotto is shown the place 
of the manger. Over it is a good painting of the 
Virgin and Child, with the shepherds, set in a silver 
frame, and behind a screen of silver wire, and illumi- 
ned by five silver lamps. The station of the Magi is 
near, and the Chapel of Joseph is a long dark vault 
leading out of the Grotto. 

Whether Jesus was born and laid in a manger 
in this cave, no one is able to say with certainty. 
Tradition makes this the spot, and it may be even so. 
No doubt there are natural caves here ; and such 
caves were then, and are still used in the East as sta- 
bles. At any rate, this is Bethlehem, and here, or in 
some spot near me, beneath my eye, my blessed 
Saviour was born. Here, a helpless infant, He was 
cradled in a manger — so humble and lowly was the 
advent of the Son of God. This wondrous fact was 
rendered deeply impressive as I wandered through 
Bethlehem, and knew that this great event here trans- 
pired — the new star was in this sky, shone over these 
hills, and directed the Wise Men to the humble abode 



BETHLEHEM MAR SABA. 



275 



where they found and worshiped the young child — as 
I looked off upon and went among the hills and val- 
leys where tlie shepherds heard the angel voice and 
the song of heavenly hosts — and as I saw in that very 
place shepherds now with their flocks, reminding me 
of that momentous event and hour, when, 

" — In that stable lay, new-born, 
The peaceful Prince of earth and heaven, 
In the solemn midnight, 
Centuries ago." 

We left Bethlehem, with regret that we could not 
linger longer upon its hill, and even spend the night 
there, amidst associations of heaven and earth so won- 
derful. We descended the steep hill eastward, look- 
ing back for a fine view of the town, gathering flowers 
as we went, observing here, for the first time, that lit- 
tle white-spangled flower, called the Star of Bethle- 
hem, and singing, too, amid those hills and vales, the 
sweet hymn, "When marshaled on the nightly plain." 
We recall the historic scenes and characters of Bethle- 
hem — the sad story of Naomi ; the romantic fortunes 
of Ruth ; the remarkable adventures of David. Here 
that son of Jesse was born, drank at his favorite spring, 
learned to sling stones, and was anointed king by 
Samuel. But, O Bethlehem Judah, " City of David," 
thy one great event absorbs the mind — the birth of 
David's greater Son, even Him who is Lord of lords 
and King of kings. How favored are these eyes that 
look upon thee, and these feet that tread thy soil ! 

On we went amidst bold gray hills, and deep wind- 
ing valleys, and about sundown pitched our tents neai 
the Convent of Mar Saba, an immense building on 



276 



CONVENT OF SANTA SABA. 



the steep declivity of the yawning gorge of the 
Kedron — one of the wildest, most romantic, and deso- 
lately rocky places in Palestine. I was desirous of 
spending the night in this remarkable edifice, and two 
others of our party being like-minded, we were politely 
received by the Greek priests in charge, who offered 
us refreshments, and showed us to onr lodgings in 
a large and comfortably furnished chamber. 

Early in the morning we went through the various 
apartments of that singular and romantically situated 
edifice, built up of stone on the perpendicular side of 
a deep and frightful chasm. It clings to the rugged 
precipice in such an irregular outline and manner, 
that the artificial and natural rocks are curiously 
blended. A Greek priest showed us the chapel con- 
taining the tomb of St. Sabas, who died in the year 
532 — a palm-tree planted by that saint in one of the 
yards — a charnel house containing heaps of bones of 
martyred worthies — and the cave, the original nucleus 
of the establishment, where Sabas spent many years 
of his life. This was a lion's den at first ; but when 
the saint intimated to the beast a desire to occupy it 
for a religious purpose, he quietly resigned his claim 
to it — so the stoiy goes. This strange old building 
passed through various fortunes in the fierce wars be- 
tween the Crescent and the Cross. It is said to con- 
tain rich treasures, which the wild Be da win of the re- 
gion would like the opportunity of seizing, but it is 
strongly guarded. No woman is ever allowed to en- 
ter its doors. The famous traveler Madame Pfeiffer 
Bpent a night alone in a tower-loft outside. 



XXI. 



Leaving Mar Saba at seven o'clock in the morning, 
we journeyed eastward throngli the rough and romantic 
wilderness of Judea. High, bold and gray limestone 
hills, with deep and dark ravines, were all around 
us. Now and then, through the opening gorges, 
we caught glimpses of the Dead Sea. It is usual to 
go there under the protection of a guard, as the re- 
gion is infested by wild Arab robbers. Indeed, the 
Sheik of the place will be likely to rob you, unless he 
is engaged as an escort to protect you. We had his 
son, with a few assistants, as our guard. The young 
Sheik is a fine specimen of a wild Bedawy. He rode 
an Arabian mare, perfectly trained to every move- 
ment, and fleet as the wind. He was dressed in the 
gay costume of his class, with a variously colored silk 
turban wound around and streaming from his tarbush. 
He had a long gun slung across his back, a sword at 
his side, and a knife and pistols in his girdle. He 
would ride towards us with the velocity of lightning, 
brandishing his drawn sword at if to take off our heads, 
and then turn at a right angle within a few feet of us. 
He would throw his gun into the air and catch it, and 
even pick it up from the ground, while at a full gallop. 
My repeating pistol, manufactured by the New-Haven 



278 



APPROACH TO THE DEAD SEA. 



Aims Company, greatly interested and astonished him, 
and he was anxious to get possession of it. 

We were four hours going to the Dead Sea. On 
some lofty hills, about half-way there, we had fine 
views of that wild and desolate region. Stretching 
off on our right to the southeast, rugged, dreary and 
bare, is the "wilderness of En-gedi." Before us, 
lying low in its bleak-bordered bed, is the Sea of 
Death, now with dark shadows flitting over it, and then 
sparkling with sunlight gleaming through the clouds. 
Down to its eastern shore come the dark, wall-like 
mountains of Moab, stretching far to the North, and 
bordering the vale of the Jordan. About two miles 
on our left is a white wely on a hill-top. It is the ~Nehy 
Musa of the Mohammedans. The real tomb of Moses 
is among those mountains yonder, east of the Jordan, 
" in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth- 
peor; but no man knoweth his sepulchre." 

About an hour before reaching the Dead Sea, we des- 
cend the steep hills to the barren plain. Here our 
guard professed to be somewhat alarmed, or wished us 
to be, and declared that they saw Arab robbers lurk- 
ing about our path. But we saw none, and I pre- 
sume it was only a ruse on their part, to magnify their 
importance and increase their claim to hucksheesh. 
Over the light-brown, parched and crusty plain, with 
scarcely any vestige of vegetation, we are approaching 
the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. We reach 
the water's edge, and dismount amidst pebbles of 
nearly all colors, many being black and pitchy or 
bituminous, and dead branches of trees, which have 
come down the Jordan, and been thrown upon the 



LAKE SCENERY. 



281 



beach. What a strange place to stand upon— to look 
abroad and around from — and to silently meditate ! 
Every spot that the eye rests upon, near and far off, has 
some Scripture account or scene connected with it ; 
and what thrilling accounts and tremendous scenes ! 
Lift the curtain of history, and what a succession of 
events come and go — changeful, beautiful, fearful, 
wonderful, terrible ! What eyes have looked upon 
the clear waters of this lake, with its bold, bleak 
shores ! Patriarchs and kings have beheld it. Our 
blessed Lord, too, must have seen it from the Mount 
of Olives and the heights above Jericho. 

Who does not admire lake scenery — often so 
beautiful, charming and romantic? The foreign tour- 
ist will not soon forget his visits to the emerald-bor- 
dered lakes of Killarney in Ireland — the sublime 
frames in which those Scottish pictured gems, Lomond 
and Katrine, are set — and the rich beauty and roman- 
tic grandeur of the Swiss waters nestled among her 
glorious mountains. Around all these lakes there are 
verdure and fruitfulness, groves or vineyards, as well 
as rocky palisades. Flowers fringe their margins, and 
harvests wave behind, while fishes sport in their 
depths, and shells often glitter along the shore. 

But this lake of Death is a strange and unique ex- 
ception. There is nothing of life or of beauty here. 
The gradually sloping plain on the north is barren and 
bleached, crackling like egg-shells under one's feet. 
The rocky bluffs on the west and south, and the Moab- 
cliffs on the east are dark and desolate. Not a living 
thing inhabits its waters — not a flower, not a green 
willow or shrub, except where a fresh stream flows in, 

11* 



282 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEAD SEA. 



smiles on its borders. Nothing of the loveliness or 
the music of nature is here. Its waters, heavy, and 
intensely bitter and pungent, are rarely ruffled by the 
breeze. All is silence, and gloom, and death. Forty 
miles long and ten broad, the Dead Sea lies in a sort 
of grave. Its surface is lower than that of any other 
body of water in the world, being thirteen hundred 
feet below that of the Mediterranean Sea. During 
most of the year an intensely hot sun is shining upon 
it, causing a vast amount of evaporation, sufficient 
perhaps to exhaust the influx of the Jordan, and of 
several small streams. This often fills the air with 
hazy vapors, adding to the somber desolation that rests 
over it. Without any knowledge of its early history 
one would naturally feel that a blight and curse are 
here. And how well it still testifies to the great and 
solemn event that long ago changed its whole as- 
pect ! 

What features did this lake present near four thou- 
sand years ago, before " Lot pitched his tent toward 
Sodom?" From the heights of Bethel he looked 
down upon this beautiful and tempting region, " and 
beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered 
everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Go- 
morrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land 
of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." The water of 
the lake was probably once fresh, and it must have 
been much smaller than it is now, allowing a broad 
margin for the fertile fields, especially on the southern 
side, where it is supposed the Cities of the Plain stood. 
Here, according to Gentile and Jewish records, was 
the earliest seat of Phcenecian civilization. The 



CITIES OF THE PLAIN — A BATH. 



283 



Assyrian kings coveted the rich spoils of these cities ; 
and here, in the " vale of Siddim," the first battle in 
Palestine was fought. Lot was taken and his goods, 
but he and they were recovered by Abram. The 
peculiar nature of this region is indicated in the Scrip- 
ture account of the battle of the five kings, where 
mention is made of the slime-pits of bitumen in the 
vale of Siddim. These became elements in the de- 
struction of those guilty cities, when the measure of 
their exceeding wickedness was full. One day the 
patriarch, from one of the hills toward Hebron, looked 
down upon the Eden-like beauty of this plain, and 
the splendor of its cities teeming with the busy and 
tumultuous life of a gay population ; but, on the next 
morning, what an appalling sight was before him, as 
from the same spot, " he looked toward Sodom and 
Gomorrab, and toward all the land of the plain, and 
beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as 
the smoke of a furnace !" Strange contrast ! Beauty 
has turned to ashes, and life to death. And so it has 
remained through thousands of years. So I see it, a 
picture of sterility and gloom, suggesting impressive 
and solemn lessons of God's word and providence. 

I lingered there an hour or two, gathered a few 
characteristic pebbles, bathed in the buoyant water in 
which it was impossible to sink, tasted its saline bit- 
terness, filled a bottle with it to bring home, and then 
turned away toward the northeast, on a visit to the 
river Jordan, where our blessed Saviour was baptized. 
But I seem to see it now— that Sea of Death, the little 
dark island near the shore where we stopped, the 
sluggish waves slightly moved under a strong breeze, 



284 



APPROACH TO THE JORDAN. 



the desolate heights of En-gedi on the west, the bold 
promontory jutting out into the sea from the gloomy 
mountains of Moab on the east, the conical salt hills 
far to the south, where Lot's wife lingering perished, 
and the low plain on the north, where the fresh waters 
of the Jordan flow in and are absorbed. 

Over a mostly level plain, with a very rare sprink- 
ling of stunted vegetation, we were about an hour and 
a half in reaching the traditional place of the baptism 
of Jesus. On our right, we could trace the winding 
course of the river, from the strip of verdure and 
small trees among which it flows, though we could 
not see the river itself. On our left, the plain was 
broad, terminating in the abrupt, light-gray hills of 
Judea, overlooking the site of ancient Jericho. It was 
not till we came almost to the brink of the Jor- 
dan, that we got a glimpse of its swiftly-flowing and 
slightly turbid waters. O favored eyes ! O hallowed 
moment! Can the emotions awakened by such a 
sight be described? And this is the Jordan — the 
sacred river, flowing as of old — in whose stream and 
on whose banks such scenes of wonderful interest 
have transpired ! And here it rolls still, graceful in 
its sweep, musical in its flow, and every murmur of 
its waters seems to repeat and confirm the events of 
Bible history. O sweet and quiet spo't for sacred 
meditation ! Here let me sit down by this tree on the 
bank, and watch the rushing stream, and recall the 
past ! 

After reading passages of Scripture relating to the 
place, I wandered up and down the bank, gathering a 
few mementoes to take home. Just above, there was 



PISGAH AND NEBO. 



287 



a bend in the river to the right, and a considerable 
growth of trees and shrubbery on the banks not far 
below, as well as above, prevented a view of the river 
to any great extent. The width of the Jordan here, I 
judged to be twenty yards or more, and its depth was 
probably ten feet. The banks were somewhat precip- 
itous, and increasingly so at a little distance either, 
way ; but the water's edge could be easily approached 
for a number of rods at our stopping-place. This is 
the traditional place of our Saviour's baptism, the 
passage of the Israelites, and the farther miraculous 
dividing of the river by Elijah and Elisha. Here, or 
near this spot, all these wonderful events must have 
transpired. This is confirmed by Scripture allusions 
to localities in the vicinity. 

Just beyond the plain, on the eastern bank, are 
the dark mountain ranges of Moab and Amnion. Up 
under their shadow, when the long journey of forty 
years in the wilderness was nearly finished, the great 
caravan or procession of the Israelites had come. 
Then it was that Balak, King of Moab, sent for Ba- 
laam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, to come 
and curso Israel. On yonder mountain heights, Pisgah 
and Peor, did the wicked King rear altars, and take 
thither the false Prophet. There he uttered his 
remarkable parables. But God's people were not to 
be cursed, but blessed. 

Fivm the mountains of Abarim, before ISTebo, the 
Israelites came and pitched in the plains of Moab, by 
Jordan, near Jericho. At this encampment, just over 
the river from my position, what deeply interesting 
and solemn scenes transpired ! What laws and coun- 



288 



DEATH OF MOSES — THE PASSAGE. 



sels were given to Israel ! What hallowed words and 
sublime strains fell from the inspired lips of Moses ! 
A faithful, patient, earnest and successful leader he 
had been. The people had sinned and fallen by the 
way. Beside himself, only two remained of the men 
who left Egypt; and he, having once erred, must now 
finish his course without passing the Jordan. But he 
shall have a glorious view of the long-sought and 
cherished land of promise. " And Moses went up 
from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of .N"ebo, 
to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho, and 
the Lord showed him all the land." Blessed vision ! 
type of the heavenly land he was so soon to enter ; for 
there the Divine Hand took the great Moses to his 
rest and burial. 

"Sweet was the journey to the sky, 

The wondrous Prophet tried ; 
* Climb up the mount,' says God, ' and die j* 
The Prophet climbed — and died. 

" Softly his fainting head he lay 

Upon his Maker's breast ; 
His Maker kissed his soul away, 
And laid his flesh to rest." 

Joshua succeeds Moses, and preparations are made 
for entering the Promised Land. Long had it filled 
their dreams and inspired their hopes, and now they 
can look over upon its borders. Its mountain-tops 
are beautiful in the sunlight, and its green valleys are 
enchanting. But the swift-flowing and now full Jor 
dan intervenes. How shall they pass the bridgeless 
flood? A Divine promise is their encouragement. 
Down to the river's edge they come and camp. The 



TRANSLATION OF ELIJAH. 



289 



following day the priests, with, the Ark on their shoul- 
ders, advanced till their feet touched the water along 
the shelving bank. The immense procession of peo- 
ple stretched far behind them, with Reuben, Gad and 
Manasseh, fully armed, in the van. ]STo sooner had 
the priests' feet touched the water than it receded be- 
fore them, leaving the bed of the river dry. The 
waters, coming down from the Sea of Galilee, " stood 
and rose up," while those below flowed off into the 
Dead Sea. Thus was a broad path opened through 
the river by the hand of God. In the midst of the 
dry bed the priests bearing the Ark remained till all 
the people passed over, and the twelve stones had 
been taken out of the river, to perve as a memorial of 
the miracle in after times. Now the feet of Israel's 
mighty host were pressing the soil of Canaan, and the 
hearts of their enemies melted at their approach. 

Nearly six hundred years later, two remarkable men 
were standing at or near this place, on the west bank 
of the Jordan. They are Elijah and Elisha ; and 
fifty sons of the Prophets, back on an eminence, are 
watching them with intense interest. Elijah takes off 
his outer robe or mantle, wraps it together, and smites 
the waters. They at once divide hither and thither, 
and the two pass over on dry ground. While they are 
talking together on that plain beyond, suddenly 
" there appeared a chariot of lire and horses of fire, 
and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up 
by a whirlwind into heaven." Wonderful translation ! 
glorious vision ! Elisha saw it and cried, " My father ! 
my father ! the chariot of Israel and the horsemen 
thereof." He caught the mantle of the ascending 



290 



PROPHETS OF THE JORDAN". 



Prophet, returned to the Jordan, and swept its waters 
with it, calling upon the Lord God of Elijah. Another 
miracle divided the river, and the lone Prophet re- 
crossed it. The young men who had watched him 
perceived, as he returned to them, that the spirit of 
Elijah rested upon Elisha, and they bowed before him 
to the ground. 

Nearly a thousand years after the passage of the 
Israelites, an event transpired here, perhaps at this 
very spot, of most thrilling interest. O Jordan ! thou 
wast honored by the Lord of Life and Glory, who 
bowed his holy form in thy river, and made it forever 
sacred. Along those hills and vales of the wilderness 
of Judea, in this region of the Jordan, and beyond 
the river, came the bold and earnest Forerunner, 
preaching repentance, and the kingdom of heaven at 
hand, in the spirit and power of Elijah. And this, 
too, was the place where Elijah last appeared. How 
alike they were — these two great Prophets of the Jor- 
dan wilderness — alike in dress, in character, in their 
sublime utterance of truth, the one under the Old 
Dispensation, the other the herald of the New. Here 
came John the Baptist, preaching in " raiment of 
camel's hair," with a " leathern girdle round his loins" 
-—clad like the present sons of that desert — eating the 
" locusts and wild honey " of the wilderness. " He 
came baptizing," says the Rev. Mr. Stanley, of the 
Church of England, " that is, signifying to those who 
came to him, as he plunged them under the rapid tor- 
rent, the forgiveness and forsaking of their former 
sins. Ablutions in the East, have always been more 
or less a part of religious worship — easily performed 



BAPTISM OF CHEIST. 



291 



and always welcome. Every synagogue, if possible, 
was by the side of a stream or spring ; every mosque 
still requires a fountain or basin for lustrations in its 
court. But no common spring or tank would meet 
the necessities of the multitudes who, from Jerusalem 
and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, 
came to him, confessing their sins. The Jordan, 
by the very peculiarity of its position, which renders 
its functions so unlike those of other Eastern streams, 
now seemed to have met with its fit purpose. It was 
1 the one river of Palestine — sacred in its recollections 
— abundant in its waters ; and yet, at the same time, 
the river, not of cities, but of the wilderness — the 
scene of the preaching of those who dwelt not in 
kings' palaces, nor wore soft clothing. On the banks 
of the rushing stream the multitudes gathered; the 
priests and scribes from Jerusalem ; the publicans 
from Jericho and the Lake of Gennesareth ; the sol- 
diers on their way from Damascus to Petra ; the peas- 
ants from Galilee, with One from Nazareth. The tall 
reeds or canes in the jungles waved, shaken by the 
wind; the pebbles of the bare clay -hills lay around, to 
which the Baptist pointed as being capable of being 
transformed into children of Abraham ; and at their 
feet rushed the refreshing; stream of the never-failing 
river." 

Such was the scene, when the Mightier, of whom 
John spake, came to the Jordan to be baptized of Mm. 
Recognizing the Son of God, he shrank in such a holy 
presence, and said, "I have need to be baptized of 
thee." But Jesus assured him — "Thus it becometh 
us to fulfil all righteousness." And they went down 



292 



BATHING OF THE PILGRIMS. 



the bank, and the Blessed Saviour was baptized in the 
Jordan. " There," observes Stanley, " began that sa- 
cred rite which has since spread throughout the world, 
through the vast baptisteries of the Southern and 
Oriental Churches, gradually dwindling to the fonts 
of the North and West ; the plunges beneath the 
w T ater diminishing to the few drops which are now, in 
most churches, the sole representative of the full 
stream of the Descending River." 

How sacred, how solemn is such a place ! How 
thrilling, how divine its associations ! Jesus was here 
— here he was baptized — here the heavens opened at 
the scene. Here was heard the approving voice of 
the Father, and here the Spirit Dove came down upon 
the Lamb of God. The devout tourist would scarcely 
leave such a spot before bathing in the hallowed 
river. So I felt, as thrice I bowed my head in the 
Jordan and heard the murmur of its waters above me. 

Had my visit to the Jordan been a few weeks later, 
at the Greek Easter, I might have witnessed that sin- 
gular and exciting scene, the bathing of the pilgrims, 
which is an annual occurrence. From all the East, 
and from most of the countries of Europe, pilgrims 
gather at Jerusalem, and to the number of several 
thousands go down to Jericho and encamp, and early 
the next morning repair to the Jordan, to bathe in the 
sacred river where our Lord was baptized. It is a 
motley crowd, under the escort of a Turkish guard 
They plunge into the stream, most of them in white 
dresses prepared for the occasion, and then kept as 
the shrouds in which they are to be buried. The pil- 
grimage, often long and painful, they deem highly 



DEPARTURE FROM THE JORDAN. 



293 



meritorious ; but it is not necessary to repeat it, and 
children are frequently brought to receive the one 
immersion or bath, which will save them the expense 
and peril of a pilgrimage in after life. 

Reluctantly we left the Jordan, and not till we had 
6ung the " Shining Shore," and " On Jordan's rugged 
banks I stand," thinking of dear ones who had passed 
over into the heavenly Canaan, beyond the river, 
since we left home, and that blessed hope and faith 
that look for a Divine hand to divide the stream, or 
give support in its swellings, when our feet come to 
touch its waters 



XXII. 



Imtjjfl to l*rralw. 

The sun was nearing the high hills of Judea, when we 
made our way westward from the Jordan in the track 
of the Israelites under Joshua, to their encampment 
at Gilgal. In a little more than two hours, traversing 
mostly a level plain, with a small growth of shrubs 
and grass here and there on the arid sandy soil, we 
reached our tents, on a little eminence just beyond 
which flowed the brook Cherith, now called Kelt. 
Perhaps our tents covered a portion of the Israelites' 
camp at Gilgal. And as I went down to the brook 
and drank of its pure sweet water, it might have been 
at the place where Elijah drank and was fed by the 
ravens, nearly three thousand years ago. Over the 
brook is a miserable-looking village, of low filthy huts, 
like those on the Nile, and guarded by hedges of 
thorn-bushes. Some of the swarthy inhabitants ga- 
ther around our tents, appearing more dirty, ragged 
and degraded than is common. One fellow is most 
fantastically arrayed. That wretched village is pro- 
bably the site of Roman Jericho, and a part of ancient 
Jericho, stretching farther to the northwest. A solit- 
ary stone building, in a ruinous condition, is all that 
remains of the city, and that is called the house of 
Zaccheus, 



TfiE CITY 0# PALM-TKEES — GttLGAt* £95 



Jericho had a beautiful situation. It must have 
presented a splendid and imposing appearance, as the 
Israelites surveyed it from their camp at Gilgal. It 
lay between there and the gray, barren, bold moun- 
tains of Judea, rising abruptly in the west. It was 
embowered in a magnificent grove of palm-trees, 
stretching far to the north and south. The walls and 
towers of the city, " high and fenced up to heaven," 
rose proudly above the grove — the walls over which 
the spies had been let down from the house of Kahab, 
and were concealed in the " r^ountain" back of the 
city, while their pursuers vainly sought them at the 
Jordan. Mighty as were those walls, they were soon 
to fall by the signal power of God, in the presence of 
the encompassing Israelites. 

Here, at Gilgal, after the fall of Jericho, the camp 
and tabernacle remained till the latter was removed 
to Shiloh. Here Joshua marshaled his armies, and 
led them up northward to the battle of Ai, near 
Bethel. Here Achan's crime was detected, and he 
was punished with death in the adjacent Yalley of 
Achor. Here came Samuel from year to year, and 
held his court as a judge in Israel. Here the king- 
dom was renewed to Saul, and here he took the fatal 
steps which led to the loss of that kingdom. " And 
Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gil- 
gal." Here came David on his return from exile, and 
was met by thousands of people. 

After the rebuilding of Jericho, it was the seat of a 
school of the prophets, and often visited by Elijah and 
Elisha. One of the most important springs, flowing 
from the hills, watering the plain and supplying the 



296 



JERICHO — QtT A R Atf T AN1 A. 



city, had become worthless and blighting, and was 
healed by Elisha. Up the wild mountain pass, a day's 
journey to Bethel, the prophet was going when lie 
was mocked by the wicked children, whom the two 
she-bears from a neighboring forest destroyed. Elisha 
appears to have been at Gilgal when he was visited 
by Naaman, whom he sent to the Jordan to be cured 
of his leprosy. In later times, when the Roman sway 
extended over Palestine, Jericho, with its palm-groves 
and balsam gardens, was given by Antony to Cleopatra. 
Of her, Herod the Great bought them, and made this 
one of his royal cities, which he adorned with many 
stately buildings, and here that monster of iniquity 
died. 

Many wonderful scenes had transpired at Jericho. 
Distinguished prophets and mighty princes had been 
there, but at length, in the person of our blessed Lord 
it had a visitor greater than them all : and some of His 
gracious words and astonishing works are forever as- 
sociated with the place. After His baptism, He was 
led up of the Spirit into the wilderness. Then fol. 
lowed the long fasting and the temptation. It was 
doubtless to the wilderness of Judea, back of Jericho, 
up to which the Saviour was led, passing near or 
through the city. The boldest of those lofty, white 
limestone hills is called Quarantania, from the forty 
days' fasting of our Lord. It rises abruptly from the 
verdant plain, its rugged side dotted with the dark 
openings of numerous caves and grottoes, once ten- 
anted by hermits, and its summit is crowned by a 
small chapel. Tradition also makes this the high 



ftlKA — APPLKS OF SODOM. 



mountain where Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms 
of the world. 

The sun was not much above the mountains of Moab, 
when we left our camping ground near the brook 
Cherith, where our slumbers had been somewhat dis- 
turbed bj barking dogs, braying donkeys, and tramp- 
ing horses. We rode through the filtnv hut- village of 
Riha, with its barracks of thorn-brush, crossing 
the brook and other streams, bordered by fine 
patches of luxuriant wheat and other growing crops. 
These cultivated sp'ots had a green and beautiful ap- 
pearance, in the midst of the general barrenness and 
desolation. They showed what capabilities are in the 
soil, and how, with proper irrigation from those abun- 
dant fountains, and a suitable tillage, the whole plain 
of Jericho could be made fruitful as a blooming gar- 
den, or as the vale of Jordan when it first met the 
eyes of Lot. Such, doubtless, it will become, when it 
passes into other and more enterprising hands. 

We observed thorn and other trees, and a peculiar 
kind near the brook Cherith, bearing a fair round yel- 
low fruit, tempting to the eye, but bitter, nauseous, 
and said to be poisonous. It is called by some the 
Apples of Sodom. The ancient grove of palms, so 
majestic and beautiful* has entirely disappeared. 
About twenty years ago, travelers speak of seeing a 
solitary palm-tree, but that lone representative of the 
past long since disappeared. We noticed a few old 
hewn stones and pottery mounds, indicating, probably, 
the site of ancient Jericho. On our left, near the 
base of Quarantania, we saw the stone remains of old 



298 



TH"E FOUNTAIN OF ELlSftA. 



sugar mills, in operation, perhaps, two thousand years 
ago. 

But now we come to 'Ain es-Sultan, the Fountain 
of Elisha — the identical spring, it would seem, into 
which that prophet cast the salt, and it was miracu- 
lously healed. At the foot of the hills, it bubbles up 
profusely into a rude reservoir, and then flows away 
in a clear stream of sufficient size and force to carry a 
mill at once. And so its pure sweet waters have 
bubbled and flowed since the day when Elisha stood 
at its margin, and wondrously healed the fountain. 
How interesting to stand there, to sit down by the 
fountain-side, and drink of the spring where, no doubt, 
the prophet quenched his thirst, and where, perhaps, 
our blessed Lord himself had come and drank. 

Standing on the high bank from under which the 
fountain gushes out, and looking over \ he whole range 
of the plain, what thrilling associations and emotions 
are awakened ! What a wonderful cluster of Scripture 
localities are in view ! What a long, changing, event- 
ful history is there ! Through the varied scenes of 
the drama, what forms and figures move ! Patriarchs 
and prophets, kings and conquerors, and our Divine 
Lord himself have been there At my feet is all that 
remains of the great, powerful, and walled city of 
Jericho. The mountains back of me, and those beyond 
the Jordan, remain'as of old, but all eke how changed ! 
I can look down where the Cities of the Plain stood, 
where Lot heard the angel voice, " Escape to the 
mountain." I can see the heights where Moses viewed 
" the landscape o'er," and ascended to glory, and 
where Elijah followed in a chariot of fire. I can look 



SCUlPTtitE SITES AND SCENES. 299 

far up the valle} r , and trace the windings of the Jordan 
downward to where it was thrice miraculously divided, 
where the stern, earnest Forerunner preached and bap- 
tized, and where our blessed Redeemer bowed his sa- 
cred form in the Descending River. Across this plain 
He went up to the wilderness to fast and to be temp- 
ted. Over it He subsequently walked with his dis- 
ciples. Coming from the eastern side of the Jordan, 
conversing with the sons of Zebedee in regard to their 
singular request, they reach the palm-shaded bor- 
ders of Jericho, and there sat blind Bartimeus, whom 
He healed ; and there was the sycamore from whence 
He called the tax-gatherer Zaccheus. Nothing in all 
thy history, O City of Palms, is so beautiful as these 
scenes of mercy and salvation ! What a memorable 
visit of Jesus to Jericho ! Gracious, heavenly, and 
joyful words fell from His lips here — words that have 
comforted and gladdened many a heart since they 
were heard by the poor beggar and the rich collector. 
Solemn, thrilling, earnest lessons and eloquent voices, 
come to the heart from all these places and associations. 
The perished cities speak of the doom of sinners. 
Kebo speaks of the saint's prospects and of heaven. 
The Jordan, of following Jesus, and the believer's safe 
passage over the river to his home. The battles of 
Joshua, of the victories of faith after we have enlisted 
for Christ. The fountain at my feet murmurs of the 
Fountain opened for sin. Its being divinely healed is 
an emblem of a soul renewed and purified, hence- 
forth to flow on in a tide of everlasting salvation. Be- 
fore leaving we sang " The voice of free grace," and 
" There is a land of pure delight." 

12 



300 



THE PASS OF ADUMMIM. 



After our Lord's entertainment at tho house of Zac- 
cheus in Jericho, and His uttering of the solemn par- 
able of the pounds, "Pie went before, ascending 
up to Jerusalem." He took the usual path, the only 
thoroughfare between the two cities. It remains the 
same to-day — a road " ascending up" — an almost con- 
tinual climbing of high hills. In this path it was my 
privilege to go, tracing the footsteps of our blessed 
Saviour. 

After leaving the Fountain of Elisha, we turned 
southward for a little time, along the fertile margin of 
the plain of Jericho, under the high Judean hills. 
Crossing again the Cherith, we turned to the right 
near the base of Quarantania, and entering the wild, 
deep gorge of Wady el-Kelt, we began to climb up 
our narrow path among the mountains. Far down 
on our right, at the bottom of the precipitous ravine, 
the Cherith flows like a silver ribbon. On our left, 
and all about us, are lofty, bold, gray and white lime- 
stone slopes and summits, giving to the region an as- 
pect lonely, desolate, and sublime. The wild pass we 
are ascending is the " going up to Adummim," men- 
tioned by Joshua in his description of the boundary, 
as lying on " the south side of the river," or brook. 
Our course is westward, over flinty rocks, on the edge 
of this glen or abyss, whose almost perpeudicular walls 
are nearly five hundred feet high. Caves and grot- 
toes are in their sides, once the abodes of hermits an 
anchorites, and the ruins of a few chapels crown th 
rugged heights beyond; We now pause and loo 
back, from our high and comanding elevation, to tak 
one last near view of the plain of Jericho, the Jorda 



FOOTSTEPS OF JEStJS — A PLACE OF THIEVES. 301 



valley,' the Dead Sea, and the adjacent mountains. 
The view is wide and varied, grand and gloomy, em- 
bracing numerous Scripture sites, with which are as- 
sociated some of the most interesting and thrilling 
events of sacred history. 

We journey on, and I think of that last journey 
of Jesus over this same path, going np from the house 
of Zaccheus, his new friend in Jericho, to the house 
of Lazarus, his older friend in Bethany. It was just 
one week before His crucifixion, that He passed along 
here, over these same flat rocks that are beneath my 
feet. O, what a week was that ! How crowded with 
blessed and tender instructions, with strange, solemn, 
and wonderful events ! 

We come to the summit or rather shoulder of a hill, 
and begin to descend. The region, broken up into 
high elevations and deep ravines, is wild, gloomy and 
desolate. A little way from our path, on the right, 
are the stone ruins of some ancient building- Our 
guides tell us it is the remains of the inn to which 
the good Samaritan took the poor traveler who, in 
coming down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among 
thieves, who stripped and wounded him, and left him 
half dead. This spot has always been noted as the 
lurking-place of robbers. And no traveler now passes 
through there, without perceiving how admirably 
adapted the region is for deeds of violence and blood, 
especially if he gets a sight of the wild, fierce, demo- 
niac-looking Bedawin, crossing the path, skulking in the 
ravines, or hanging around the rocks. I saw in that 
vicinity several such in their tattered garments, with 
their lances, long guns, pistols and clubs, watching an 



302 



MCSTAPllA — BETSANY. 



opportunity to pounce upon the solitary or unprotected 
traveler. Ibrahim was continually cautioning us to 
keep together. Some years ago, at this most dangerous 
part of the road, an English gentleman was way -laid, 
stripped, wounded and left for dead. Very likely he 
might have been thinking of our Saviour's account 
when he fell under the Bedawy's club. As we were 
passing, I intimated to Mustapha, one of our sturdy 
Arab assistants, to designate the place where the 
scene in the Gospel narrative transpired. In a short 
time he pointed to the ground, and then with both 
hands swung his huge stick within a few inches of my 
head, as a partial illustration of the scene. In a val- 
ley a little further along, we sat down to our lunch 
amidst some old ruins near a little fountain, perhaps 
the same that Joshua calls "the waters of En- 
shemesh." 

Climbing along this bleak, hilly region, amidst 
slight showers of rain, an hour's ride brings us near 
to Bethany. Emerging from the " wilderness of 
Judea," we begin to ascend the southeastern slope of 
Olivet. Bethany comes into view. Here, as we 
reach the border of the town, is the place where Mar- 
tha came to meet Jesus, and in her regretful anguish 
greeted him : " Lord, if thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died." Then Mary came here and 
addressed Him in the same words. He was beyond 
the Jordan when they sent to their Lord the message 
— "He whom thou lovest is sick." Down this long 
dreary path, through the valley, and over these dark, 
bleak hills, they had gazed with anxious expectation, 
and watched for His approach. O long and sad hours 



JESUS AT BETHA.NY. 



303 



and days ! but, after three suns had set upon their 
brother's grave, the form of Jesus was seen coming up 
the ascent. And here they met Him, and heard His 
glorious words of Resurrection and Life and Immor- 
tality. Here came the sympathizing Jews and min- 
gled theirs with Mary's tears. Here the Redeemer 
" groaned in spirit and was troubled, and said, Where 
have ye laid him ?" And here Jesus wept. O Beth- 
any ! how sweet and hallowed are thy associations with 
Jesus ! How much of His human side, His precious 
love, His dear friendship and tender sympathy thou 
didst witness ! The nignt before His betrayal, He 
came to visit and feast with His friends in thee. His 
last look upon earth was upon thee ; for the risen Lord 
led his disciples " out as far as to Bethany" — to that 
shady ridge between thee and Olivet's summit — " and 
He lifted up His hands and blessed them, and was 
parted from them, and was carried up to heaven." 

" Jesus wept ! those tears are )ver, 

But His heart is still the same ; 
Kinsman, Friend, and elder Brother 

Is His everlasting name. 

Saviour, who can love like thee, 

Gracious One of Bethany. 

* Jesus wept ! and still in glory, 

He can mark each mourner's tear ; 
Living to retrace the story 

Of the hearts He solaced here. 

Lord, when I am called to die, 

Let me think of Bethany." 



XXIII. 



Gfitj 0f % tat f injf— ©ctfescmime. 

Once more in Jerusalem, to spend a few days, inclu- 
ding another precious Sabbath, and to visit over and 
over again localities of most sacred and tender interest. 
Around no city in the world do such hallowed as- 
sociations cluster. No other spot has been so honored 
of God. None has such a wonderful history. No city 
has been loved like this. The mountains in and round 
about it are unparalleled in the scenes they have wit- 
nessed. No hills or summits have such associations 
as Mori ah and Zion, Calvary and Olivet. Every foot 
of soil is sacred ; every rock has its story ; every foun- 
tain its memories ; and every path its footprints of 
God. I think of the glories of the past — the Temple 
and the throngs who came to worship in it — and I do 
not wonder that God's people should sing : " His foun- 
dation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the 
gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 
Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." 

"And throned on her hills sits Jerusalem yet, 
But with dust on her forehead and chains on her feet 
For the crown of her pride to the mocker hath gone, 
And the holy Shechinah is dark where it shone." 

Compared with its former greatness and glory, Jeru- 
salem is scarcely more than a ruin now. It is, how- 



JERUSALEM AS IT WAS AND IS, 



305 



ever, a walled city, nearly square, and contains, pro- 
bably, not over 15,000 inhabitants, comprising in the 
order of numbers, Jews, Moslems, Greeks, Latins, Ar- 
menians, and others. The hills and valleys remain 
much as they were in ancient times. Some relics of 
the old walls and towers are left. Pools and fountains 
still exist or flow as in former days. A few trees — 
olive, fig, palm, cypress, and pomegranate — remain as 
representatives of those that once crowned the hills or 
adorned the gardens. As I walk on the walls, or make 
the circuit of the city without them, imagination is 
ever busy in restoring the original grandeur of this 
City of the Great King, reviewing its changeful history 
and astonishing events, and seeing again the vast 
throngs that once crowded its thoroughfares, and the 
wonderful persons that walked its streets. How deep- 
ly interesting to " walk about Zion" — how beautiful 
the scenery by the way — if we could see the city as it 
was in its glory, the hills and valleys in their verdure 
and bloom ; if we could u tell the towers, and mark 
the bulwarks, and consider the palaces," that were 
long ago destroyed ! The visitor is reminded of the 
prophet's lamentations : " How doth the city sit solit- 
ary that was full of people? How is she become as 
a widow ! She that was great among the nations, and 
princess among the provinces, how is she becom^ 
tributary !" O chosen city, how art thou fallen ! and 
what glorious, what sad memories are thine! 

tc Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 

TJiy cross thou bearest now ! 
An iron yoke is on thy neck, 

And blood is on thy brow ; 



506 



UPPER POOL OF GIHON — TOMBS. 



Thy golden crown, the crown of truth, 

Thou didst reject as dross, 
And now thy cross is on thee laid — 
The Crescent is thy cross." 

I have in a previous chapter described an excursion 
around Zion, or the southern part of the city, from the 
Bethlehem Gate along the valleys of Hinnom and 
Jehoshaphat to St. Stephen's Gate. I will now at- 
tempt to describe the northern part of the circuit. 

We went out at the Bethlehem or Jaffa Gate, and 
first visited the Upper Pool of Gihon, a few hundred 
yards west of the northwest corner of the city. Here 
the Valley of Hinnom commences. This pool is an 
immense open tank, of rectangular form, excavated 
in the rock. It is partly full of water. The prophet 
Isaiah was commanded of God to go forth and meet 
Ahaz " at the end of the conduit of the Upper Pool, 
in the highway of the Fullers Field." Here, also, 
Kabshekah stood and delivered the haughty message 
of his royal master, the King of Assyria, to the Min- 
isters of Hezekiah. We also read that Hezekiah stop- 
ped the upper outflow of the waters of Gihon, and 
brought it down to the west side of the city of 
David. 

Turning to the right, we go round the northwest 
corner of the city, and make a gentle descent to the 
east. Scattered olive trees, rocks, and old tombs are 
about. us. We are now not far from the Damascus 
Gate, near the middle of the northern wall. We go 
to th.e Tombs of the Kings, sometimes called the Tomb 
of Helena, about half a mile north of this gate. They 
are extensive excavations in the native rock, embracing 



OLD QUARRY UNDER THE CITY. 



307 



an open court, chambers, passage-ways, and various 
side vaults, all smoothly hewn, and exhibiting much 
skill and taste ; but as they contain no inscriptions, it 
is uncertain when or for whom they were made. 
Crawling into the low and narrow entrance, we ex- 
plored these dismal cells with candles. 

Returning by the Grotto of Jeremiah, a huge cave 
in a rocky hill-side, we come back to the wall, a little 
east of the Damascus Gate, and climbing over a 
mound of soft earth and rubbish, we discern a low 
cavernous entrance under the wall. Provided with 
a guide and lights, we go down, as we are obliged to, 
in a horizontal position, and are soon lost to daylight. 
We now find ourselves in an immense rocky cavern, 
extending far under the hill Bezetha, or northeastern 
part of Jerusalem. We explored this nether city to 
the distance of about a quarter of a mile. Sometimes 
the rock-roof was high above us, and at other places 
we had to stoop to avoid a contact with it. We 
walked over loose stones, and passed huge pieces of 
rock, all white limestone. This was evidently an im- 
mense quarry, for the marks of the quarrying instru- 
ments are plainly seen, and blocks that have been 
split from the rocks remain. There can scarcely be 
a doubt that the stones for the Temple-walls were 
taken from this quarry. Here they were dressed and 
prepared, as is evident from the many piles of chip- 
pings. And this agrees with the account of the erec- 
tion of the Temple. " And the house, when it was in 
building, was built of stone, made ready before it was 
brought thither ; so that there was neither hammer 
nor axe, nor any tool of iron, heard in the house while 
12* 



308 



TOMB OF THE VIRGIN — GETHSEMANE. 



it was building." Here, in Solomon's time, we must 
believe, those immense beveled stones, now seen in 
the base of the city wall at its southeast corner, were 
quarried and hewn. Occasionally we passed huge, 
rugged columns of rock, left by the workmen to sup- 
port the roof. After an hour's ramble in these vast, 
dark, and dreary halls, that so long ago echoed the 
sounds of the " tools of iron," it was pleasant to emerge 
again to daylight. This cavern was unknown to 
foreigners till a few years since, when it was dis- 
covered by Dr. Barclay, an American missionary, 
who ob&erved his dog crawling into it. 

Proceeding eastward down the hill, we enter the 
Valley of Jehoshaphat, amidst a cluster of olive trees, 
and turning south cross the bed of the Kedron. Just 
over the bridge, on the left, is the Tomb of the Virgin 
Mary. It is a church also, and I was surprised to 
find it so ample and so brilliantly adorned. It is 
mostly under ground, and the main room, gleaming 
with lighted silver lamps and splendid altars, is reached 
by a descent of sixty steps. About half way down 
on the light, are shown in a niche or little chapel, the 
tombs of Joachim and Anna, parents of the Virgin. 
Joseph's tomb is on the left, and Mary's is in the 
church below. 

A pilgrim's tent was pitched near this building, and 
on some rude seats under a large tree adjoining it, 
several persons were sitting or lounging, whenever I 
passed. 

A few rods to the southeast brings us to the north- 
west corner of the enclosure of Gethsemane, on the 
lower slope of Olivet. A stone wall, roughly stuc- 



THE GARDEN ITS AGED OLIVES. 



309 



coed, and about seven feet high, surrounds the Gar- 
den. The space enclosed contains perhaps a third of 
an acre. We pass along the north wall, turn the cor- 
ner, and find, near the south end of the east wall, a 
low door or gate, the only entrance. This is locked, 
but a few raps thereon bring a monk, who lives in a 
little apartment in the Garden, and he politely gives 
us admission. 

We are now in the Garden, and the scenes of our 
Saviour's agony and betrayal throng upon the mind 
with indescribable solemnity and power. Jesus pray- 
ing, Jesus suffering, the cup of anguish, and the 
traitor's kiss — how vividly they reappear ! We can 
scarcely think of anything else. W e care not for the 
tradition that points out the precise spot or grotto 
where Jesus prayed, the rocky bank where the three 
Apostles slept, and the place of the betrayal. We 
know they were all near, and we give ourselves up to 
the great and awful realities they witnessed. 

There is a walk around the Garden, close to the 
wall, to which, at every few steps, rude pictures are 
attached, representing the various scenes in our Lord's 
passion. In the center of the enclosure there are also 
walks, and flower-beds bright with roses and other 
blossoms. "But the most striking feature is that of 
eight very old, large and venerable olive trees. Their 
trunks are partially decayed, and are supported by 
stones piled about them. ISTo other trees on the moun- 
tain are like them, so ancient and solemnly grand. It 
almost seemed that I was looking upon the very trees 
under whose boughs our blessed Lord and His dis- 
ciples sat — where He taught them the glorious mys- 



310 



GETHSEHANE TEARFUL EMOTIONS. 



teries of His kingdom — and where afterwards He knelt 
and prayed in agony, and His holy soul was over- 
whelmed with sorrow. Though not dating so far 
back, yet the olive is often very long-lived, and even 
these may be the immediate successors, or have 
actually sprung from the roots of those that were here in 
the time of Christ. With their gnarled trunks and 
and scanty foliage, these venerable trees are sacred 
and affecting memorials — " the most nearly approach- 
ing to the everlasting hills themselves, in the force 
with which they carry us back to the events of the 
Gospel history." In a secluded spot under the shade 
of one of those glorious old trees, I read aloud the 
names of my Christian flock, from a list of them I had 
with me, and commended all to God in prayer, and 
to the abounding grace of Him whose soul for us was 
here exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Far apart 
though we were, yet prayer and faith and love, and 
fellowship with our suffering Redeemer, brought us 
near together, and into sw r eet union with Him and 
with each other. 

After we had been nearly two hours in the Garden, 
our little party got together in a retired place, near 
the western wall, where we might review more min- 
utely the solemn memories of this hallowed spot. 
We sat down, affected with its powerful and tender 
associations — our tearful interest all the while pro- 
foundly increasing, as I read aloud, one after another, 
the several accounts in the Gospels of our dear Savi- 
our's agony here, and concluded by reading the fifty- 
third chapter of Isaiah. Our tears flowed most freely. 
So overpowering were my emotions, that I could 



PRAYER MEETING IN THE GARDEN. 



311 



hardly read audibly. I never had snch a near view 
of Christ before — of His majestic holiness and Divine 
glory — of His infinite pity, tenderness and love — of 
the unspeakable intensity of His sufferings and sor- 
rows — of the importance and greatness of His atoning 
work — of the terrible guiltiness and ill desert of sin in 
the sight of God — of my own unutterable unworthiness 
and sinfulness, and the sweet, glorious preciousness of 
Jesus as a Saviour. I never before felt such a per- 
sonal nearness to Him, or had such a vivid sense of 
His enduring all that unsearchable agony for me. If 
I had not then been conscious of a sweet hope in that 
suffering Saviour, a loving reliance upon Him, and a 
personal interest in His blood and righteousness, I 
should have been most miserably wretched. So doubt- 
less we all felt, as w T e kneeled down there where our 
blessed Lord had knelt and prayed, and poured out in 
tears and cries our souls to Him, recalling the bitter 
anguish of 

" that dark and doleful night, 

When powers of earth and hell arose 
Against the Son of God's delight, 

And friends betrayed Him to His foes." 

From the Garden, the whole eastern wall of the city, 
with the slope of the hill below, can be seen, and per- 
haps our Saviour caught a glimpse of Judas and his 
band, issuing from a gate, or round a corner of the 
wall, just at that moment when He seems to speak 
abrubtly to His disciples — " Rise, let us be going; be- 
hold, he is at hand that doth betray me." 

I often visited this sacred enclosure. The first 
morning after my arrival in Jerusalem, and the last 



312 



GETHSEMANE — ST. STEPHEN^ GATE. 



morning of my stay there, I lingered at this spot. 
And who could visit such a place, and not be affected 
to tears? Who could feel indifferent to the lone 
Sufferer there — the steadfast Saviour, under the infi- 
nite pressure of a world's guilt — the blessed Lamb of 
God, betrayed, taken, and borne away as a criminal! 
O Gethsemane ! How strangely wonderful are the 
scenes thou hast witnessed ! How thy every tree, and 
stone, and turf speaks of Jesus ! The breeze in the 
boughs whispers of His prayers. The dew-drops on 
thy rose-leaves remind us of His tears. Each crim 
6on flower tells us of His bloody sweat. Sad and pre- 
cious Gethsemane ! thou art to-day a witness for 
Christ. Thou, on that everlasting hill, dost seem to 
repeat His instructions heard by thee. Thou art ever 
repeating the story of His love, His tears, His con- 
flicts, His victories ! 

" Garden of Olivet ! thou dear honored spot, 
The fame of thy wonders shall ne'er be forgot ; 
The theme most transporting to seraphs above ; 
The triumph of sorrow — the triumph of love !" 

Kindly permitted to take a few flowers, rose-leaves, 
an olive branch, and a little box of earth from the 
Garden, we recrossed the Kedron, and climbed the 
steep and high ascent to St. Stephen's Gate. Near 
the gate, on our right, is a well or fountain, and men 
are raising water for their horses and other animals. 
A flock of sheep there, too, with their keepers or 
owners, apparently counting them as they each pass 
under a rod, reminds us of certain passages of Scrip- 
ture, and suggests the locality of Bethesda. " Now 



POOL OF BETHESDA. 



313 



there is at Jerusalem, by the Sheep market, a Pool, 
which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda." We 
enter the wall and turn a few steps to the left, and 
reach the traditional site of this far-famed Pool, 
whose angel-troubled waters were so efficacious. It 
is now a large excavation, in a neglected and ruinous 
state. But it is easy to recall the five porches, filled 
with the various impotent folk — a sad and sorrowful 
spectacle— as they waited for a cine. We think of 
the poor cripple, suffering eight and thirty years, sit- 
ting by the brink of the Pool, and yet unable to avail 
himself of its virtues. We see Jesus come and speak 
to him kindly, tenderly, and heal him by a w r onderful 
word. 



XXIV. 



genjamnz— (Bi&wm— §t%L 

I might still linger with interest at Jerusalem, and 
dwell on other chapters of its long and wonderful 
history, its strange and astonishing scenes. I might 
speak of climbing the massive Tower of David, one 
of the few relics of the former city, and of the glorious 
view from its top— of looking down again from the 
House of Pilate, at the northern foot of Moriah, upon 
the broad and beautiful grounds of the Temple, where 
were the home and altar of Melchisedek; where Abra* 
ham offered his son Isaac ; where was the threshing- 
floor of Oman, and the angel with the drawn sword 
hovered above ; where Solomon built the glorious 
Sanctuary ; where our blessed Lord was often found 
teaching the people ; where multitudes of infatuated 
Jews perished in the burning Temple ; where now the 
^reat octagonal mosque, with its splendid dome, stands 
in the center of that charming area, by far the most 
beautiful building in the Holy City. And while 
thinking of all this, from a minaret on my right is 
heard a shrill voice breaking over the stillness ; it is 
the muezzin's call to prayer. I might speak of re- 
peated walks in and around the city, and on the top 
of its high, massive wall, and of never- wearying visits 
to Calvary, Gethsemane, Olivet and Bethany. But 



DEPARTURE FROM THE CITY SCOPUS. 315 



I must tear myself away from these sacred attractions. 
Having procured various little memorials of Jeru- 
salem and the Mount of Olives, arrangements were at 
length made for our departure. We had passed two 
Sabbaths in the Holy City, on each of which we had 
a delightful religious service, with preaching, in an 
" upper room" on Mount Zion. The sermon on the 
second Lord's day was from the Rev. Mr. Sooth. 

It was a beautiful day, March 27th, at noon, when 
our agreeable party of thirteen Americans took leave 
of these intensely interesting localities. I have 
already mentioned several of our company who had 
visited Eygpt together ; the others were Messrs. P. 
Snyder, of Albany, A. R. Wiggs, of Alabama, and the 
" two Marys," Miss Foot, of Brooklyn, and Miss Bil- 
lings, of Elmira ; and we were now joined by the Bev. 
J. L. Jenkins, of Lowell, the Rev. W. B. Clarke, of 
Hew Haven, and Mr. Porter, a Theological student, of 
Boston. We went out by the Jaffa Gate, where we 
first entered the city, and turned to the north into the 
Damascus road. Over an uneven surface, abounding 
in rock-ledges and tombs, with olive trees and occa- 
sional patches of cultivated ground, we passed the up- 
per end of the Kedron valley, and reached, at the dis- 
tance of about a mile, the heights of Mt. Scopus, and 
paused to take a last look of the city. The view was 
charming and delightful, and- can never be forgotten. 
Jerusalem, under the light of a vernal sun, lay like a 
beautiful picture in a frame of hills. Long and ear- 
nestly, silently and tearfully, we gazed, feeling that 
we should never again behold that sacred and won- 
derful city. How clearly we see each object, ren 



316 



LAST VIEW OF JERUSALEM. 



dered familiar by frequent visit and observation! — 
The encircling walls of massive stone — the domes of 
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — the Castle of 
David — the Mosque of Omar, and various minarets 
shooting their slender spires upward — Zion, Moriab, 
Bezetha and Aksa, hills within the walls — and with- 
out, the slopes and heights of surrounding elevations, 
rising from the deep valleys of Hinnora and Jehosha- 
phat, most prominent and most tenderly attractive 
being those of Olivet, while the dark, wall-like moun- 
tains of Moab, beyond the vale of the Jordan, were 
just visible, and enhanced the beauty and interest of 
the picture. As our moistened eyes took in this last 
view of the Holy City, and as its unparalleled events, 
especially those connected with the closing scenes of 
our blessed Saviour's mission, came thronging upon 
our minds, our emotions, my own, at least, are not to 
be described. I opened my pocket Bible, and read 
aloud the forty-eighth Psalm, and from our position we 
could readily appreciate the glowing description — 
" Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is 
Mount Zion, o?i the sides of the north, the city of the 
Great King." Wq could appreciate the strong at- 
tachment of the captive Israelites to the city of their 
solemnities, and felt like adopting their powerfully 
affectionate and plaintive strains : " If I forget thee, 
O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning ; 
if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the 
roof of my mouth ; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my 
chief joy." " Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, 
and favor the dust thereof." We joined our voices in 
singing these lines ; 



HEIG-HTS AND PASSES OF BENJAMIN. 



319 



« The hill of Zion yields 

A thousand sacred sweets, 
Before we reach the heavenly fields 
Or walk the golden streets. 

" Then let our songs abound, 
And every tear be dry ; 
We're marching through Immanuel's ground 
To fairer worlds on high. 

" then my spirit faints 

To reach the land I love, 
The bright inheritance of saints, 
Jerusalem above." 

We then set our faces to the north, and going down 
the slope, we saw Jerusalem no more. Farewell, O 
Sacred City ! Thy wonderful history extends through 
long centuries, is crystalized on the immortal pages 
cf Revelation, and embraces the most exciting, touch- 
ing, tender and glorious scenes. What a precious 
privilege to have looked upon thy walls, to have en- 
tered thy gates, to have walked among thy hallowed 
localities — all of which are now as familiar as child- 
hood scenes, and to be recounted with perpetual 
pleasure — bright and charming pictures that memory 
will hold dear and cherish forever ! 

We soon found ourselves entering a rich cluster of 
Scripture sites, with which are connected events ol 
thrilling interest. We are among the heights and 
passes of Benjamin, on the main road to Galilee, along 
which our Divine Lord and His disciples often went, 
and previously traversed by kings, prophets and patri- 
archs. The general appearance is that of hilly and 
rocky desolation. A few stunted trees scarcely at- 



320 



NOB — MIZPEH. 



tract a notice. Isolated patches of cultivated ground 
seem a vain attempt at husbandry, but are often 
really rich and productive. Old terraces, belting the 
hills to their summits, indicate a former thrift which 
might be again renewed. Here find there, under the 
band of cultivation, are spots of luxuriant verdure, 
abounding in groves of olive, fig, pomegranate and 
vines, showing the capacity of the soil where all looks 
forbidding. On the slopes and summits there are 
frequent villages, in a ruined or dilapidated state, that 
are scarcely distinguishable from the gray rocks 
around them. 

A hill close on our right, covered with old ruins, 
among which are several rock-hewn reservoirs, is 
supposed to be the site of Nob, where the priests were 
slain by the cruel order of Saul ; and in the vale de- 
clining to the east, David probably lay concealed, and 
had his interview with Jonathan. Farther to the east 
on a broad ridge, we see Anathoth, interesting as the 
birthplace of Jeremiah. West of us rises Mizpeh, a 
conspicuous commanding elevation, often mentioned in 
Scripture, the scene of thrilling events, and the gath- 
ering of vast assemblies preparatory to battle or the 
choice of a king. There Saul was chosen, and the 
shout first heard in Israel, " God save the king !" To 
this height came the chivalrous Crusader, Richard of 
England ; but before looking upon Jerusalem, he 
buried his face in his hands, and exclaimed — " Ah ! 
Lord God ! I pray that I may never see thy holy city, 
if I may not rescue it from thine enemies !" At the 
northern foot of Mizpeh, a hill crowned with a vil- 
lage rises up from a beautiful plain, whose verdure is 



GtBEON — tfiltt 8VH S ADDING STILL. 321 

enlivened with clustering vineyards and olive groves. 
This village is Gibeon, one of the royal cities of Scrip- 
ture history. Here that singular piece of strategy 
was planned, that curious expedition, which beguiled 
the Israelites into a league with the Gibeonites. The 
latter became hewers of wood and drawers of water to 
the former, and up that hill they carried the wood, and 
from that fountain below bore the water to the altar 
and the sanctuary. On this little plain, the five kings 
of the Amorites encamped against the Gibeonites. 
The latter sent for Joshua, and over that broad, stony 
ridge at our right, the Israelites suddenly rushed, and 
came down across our path upon them with the first 
beams of the morning sun. They were slain with a 
great slaughter at Gibeon, and driven westward over 
the pass Beth-boron, where many more perished by the 
falling stones and hail. It was during this great bat- 
tle that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still upon 
Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon. "And 
the sun stood still and the moon obeyed, until the 
people had avenged themselves on their enemies. 
And there was no day like that, for the Lord fought 
for Israel." It was deeply interesting to look upon 
the scene of this stupendous miracle, and from the 
place where it transpired, look up to the same sun 
now in the sky, and, by faith, to the same God in the 
heavens above. He still fights for His people ; and 
suns, days and ages wait for the triumph of His king- 
dom. 

Gibeon is a place of battles and scenes of blood. 
Doubtless, at this pool or reservoir, still to be seen on 
f he eastern slope of the hill, Abner and Joab met at 



322 



GtBEAH — RIZPAH 5 S GRIEF. 



the head of the armies of Israel and Judah. Before 
them the twelve men of Judah fought with the twelve 
of Benjamin, resulting in the slaughter of the twenty- 
four. Then followed the battle terminating in the 
defeat of Abner and the death of Asahel. Here, too, 
" at the stone which is in Gibeon," Amasa was 
treacherously slain by Joab on saluting him, "Art 
thou in health, my brother ?" It was in Gibeon that 
Solomon offered a thousand burnt-offerings, and here 
the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and was pleased 
that he asked for wisdom as the best gift. 

Passing down a rocky declivity, over a valley, and 
up a steep, bare hill, we find on its summit a confused 
heap of ruins, which mark the site of Gibeah — some- 
times called Gibeah of Saul — the city that gave Israel 
its first king. There is a horrid story of a Levite, in 
the Book of Judges, connected with this place — an 
event that resulted in nearly annihilating the tribe of 
Benjamin. On this hill, the Gibeonites hanged the 
seven descendants of Saul, in revenge for the mas- 
sacre of their brethren. And here occurred that 
touching scene of maternal tenderness, when Rizpah, 
the mother of two of the victims, " took sackcloth and 
spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of 
harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, 
and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on 
them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night." 
From April till the early rain of autumn, that lone, 
sad mother watched by the wasting skeletons of her 
sons, day and night, through the long Syrian summer. 
A sorrowful spectacle, and yet how suggestive of the 
strength of her" affection, and the depth of her grief! 



RAM AH — BEE ROTH — BIBLE TOPOGRAPHS*. 323 



Descending the hill, in half an hour we come to 
Ramah of Benjamin, a small, poor village, with frag- 
ments of columns and beveled stones built into the 
modern houses. This site is identified, from the Bible 
account of its lying between Gibeon and Beeroth. 
To the latter place another half hour brings us. It is 
now called Bireh, and is a large Mohammedan village. 
Tradition makes this the place where Joseph and 
Maiy, having been to Jerusalem with Jesus when he 
was twelve years old, turned back, not finding Him 
in their company. 

"We have passed Geba and Michmash — lying off to 
the right — places mentioned in Isaiah's prophetic des- 
cription of Sennacherib's march towards the Holy 
City: 

u lie is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron ; 

At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages 

They are gone over the passage ; 

They have taken up their lodging at Geba 

Ramah is afraid ; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 

Lift, up thy voice, daughter of Gallim ; 

Cause it to be heard unto Laish, poor Anathoth ! 

Madmenah is removed ; 

The inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. 
As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; 

He shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, 
The hill of Jerusalem." 

With the eye upon places mentioned in this highly 
poetic description, it is easy to trace the successive 
steps of the proud Assyrian, rushing on with his 
mighty army amid the terrified inhabitants, till at the 
last station he gets a glimpse of the Holy City he 
would despoil. So accurate is the topography of the 



BETHEL AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS* 



Bible, that in wandering through the lands it des- 
cribes, their history is reenacted before the eye of the 
mind. 

Turning now to the right from the main path, we 
ascend the low southwestern slope of a stony hill, and 
enter a village not very attractive in its present con- 
dition, or beautiful in its appearance, but a location 
of deep and thrilling interest ; for this is the site of 
ancient Bethel, associated with sacred, sublime and 
glorious scenes. As we come to this hill, and look 
upon these rocks, and tread these paths, and gaze upon 
those higher hills beyond and around, and know and 
feel that this is indeed Bethel, how do sweet and 
sacred associations cluster and throng about us! 
What wonderful scenes have been witnessed here ! 
The forms of venerable patriarchs are before us — 
altars, sanctuaries, vows and pledges, the worship 
of God, the presence of angels — all are here, and 
Heaven itself has been near this spot. Dreams of 
glory and promises of prosperity cluster here. O 
Bethel ! sweet name ; hallowed place — how would I 
like to lie down, even with stones for a pillow, as the 
pilgrim Jacob rested here, worn and weary, with hea- 
ven's canopy for a tent, and the watchful stars above 
him, and dream gloriously as he dreamed, and see 
such angelic and Divine visions as he saw — heaven 
and earth united, and a stairway up to the Excellent 
Glory. As we entered the village, we saw the tents of 
a party of friends already pitched near a fountain at 
the southern base of the hill ; and it would have been 
a pleasure to have pitched ours there too, as the sun 



parting of abeaham and lot. 325 



was nearing the horizon, but they had gone forward 
to another camping-ground. 

Bethel is about twelve miles north of Jerusalem. 
The present village, called Beitin, consists of some 
twenty inferior houses, mingled with fragments of an- 
cient ruins. The whole ridge or hill is exceedingly 
rocky, and Jacob could find a pillow of stones at any 
place. It is between two fertile valleys, running 
north and south. Near the western base of the hill 
is a massive old stone reservoir. It is a green spot 
watered by two little fountains, where, no doubt, the 
cattle of Abraham often drank, and where the maid- 
ens of Sarah came and filled their pitchers, just as do 
the Arab maidens from the village now. Here Abra- 
ham first pitched his tent, as he j ourneyed south on 
his way to Egypt; and to this spot he returned, " unto 
the place of the altar which he had made at the first." 
It is easy to fix the eye upon the precise locality of 
the patriarch's tent on that high hill or " mountain," 
" having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east." JSTo 
position in the neighborhood affords so fine a view • 
and from that height Abraham and Lot could easily 
survey a vast region to the right and left. Lot looked 
down thence upon the rich plain of Jordan, then 
beautiful in its crystal springs and luxuriant fruitful- 
ness, and chose his inheritance among the Cities of the 
Plain. They parted on that hill, and Lot descended 
the ravine along the thoroughfare leading to Jericho. 
Then Abraham was divinely directed to look from 
that hill over the land, with the assurance that it 
should be his, and the number of his descendants 
should be as the dust of the earth. Wild and dreary 

13 



326 



JACOB AT BETHEL. 



hills then met the lone patriarch's view, but at length 
they were crowned with cities that flourished and 
were remembered with honor long after the blooming 
" garden," with its proud seats of a splendid but cor- 
rupt civilization, was reduced to an utter desolation, 
washed by the Sea of Death. It is certainly most 
deeply interesting to visit and behold sites so unmis- 
takably identified, where Abraham stood near four 
thousand years ago. There are the same bills, valleys, 
plains, and broad view that met his eye. The accu- 
racy with which the Bible describes these minute 
geographical features, wonderfully confirms its truth. 

About a hundred and fifty years elapse, and Jacob, 
flying from his enraged brother Esau, comes a soli- 
tary wanderer to this spot, and " tarried all night, be- 
cause the sun was set ; and he took of the stones of 
the place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down 
to sleep," and dreamed that glorious dream of the 
ladder and the angels, and received promises of bless- 
ing and prosperity. He awoke, and saw but the 
bleak hills and arching heavens, but deeply impressed 
with the divine vision, the place was hallowed, and he 
exclaimed, "This is none other than the house of God, 
and this is the gate of heaven." So the name of the 
place was changed from Luz to Beth-el, " House of 
God." Here, after thirty years, Jacob came again 
with his household, and reared an altar, and was hon- 
ored with a visible manifestation of the Divine pre- 
gence. While they lingered here, "Deborah, Re- 
bekah's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath 
Bethel, under an oak ; and the name of it was called 
Allon-bachuth," the oak of weeping. 



BETH A VEH— BATTLE Off At. 



327 



Bethel has a long and varied history. From the 
pillar that Jacob set up came at length the Sanctuary 
of Bethel, and the Holy Place of the northern king* 
dom. Jeroboam sought to rival the Temple at Jeru- 
salem, by building a splendid one here aftei *.be 
Egyptian style, in which feasts and assemblies were 
held, and idolatrous offerings made to the Golden 
Calf. The desecration of the place finally gave it the 
name of Bethaven, " House of Idols." Prophets 
denounced divine judgments upon it, and the desola- 
tion that followed, and has reigned for ages, fulfilled 
the prediction : " Bethel shall come to nought." How 
strange that men could become idolators at such a 
place as Bethel, so hallowed by the presence of angels 
and promised blessings of the living God I 

A little east of Bethel is Ai, one of the most ancient 
sites in Palestine, and the next place conquered by 
Joshua after the fall of Jericho. The first attempt to 
capture it was a failure ; but it resulted in the convic- 
tion, and execution of the covetous Achan. In the 
second attack, an ambuscade was placed at night in 
the valley to the west, while the main body took their 
position beyond the glen, on the north. In the 
morning they crossed the valley as if to assault the 
city, but pretending a panic, suddenly retreated. The 
stratagem was successful. While the male population 
rushed out after the fugitives, Joshua gave the signal 
from one of those hills at the north, and the "liers-in- 
wait" at once took possession of the defenceless city, 
and laid it in ashes. I read the Scripture account of 
these battle-scenes as we passed along by the hilla 
and valleys where they transpired so long ago. 



328 



MMMOtf AN£> OPHEAff. 



From several of these heights may be seen, a few 
miles to the northeast, the light chalky peak of Rum 
mon, and the dark conical hill of Tayibeh, which it 
would be interesting to visit, if we had time to make 
the necessary detour. The first is the " rock of Rim- 
mon," whither the six hundred Benjamites fled from 
the terrible battles of Gibeah in which the crime of 
their tribe was so severely avenged. There they 
abode four months, till at length the Israelites " repented 
for Benjamin their brother," and sent some to the 
" rock Rimmon to call peaceably unto them." The 
other height is crowned with a village that probably 
represents the site of Ophrah, to which in the reign 
of Saul one of the " three companies" of " spoilers" 
went from the camp of the Philistines at Michmash. 
It is supposed also, from its position on the border of 
the Jordan valley and from its similarity of name, ta 
be the " city called Ephraim," which was " near ta 
the wilderness," and to which our Lord retired witli 
His disciples after the raising of Lazarus. 



XXV. 



%!jrara— Spofc— $lain af Startfe— ^waft's ®£ll. 

Descending from Bethel, our northward coitrse waa 
among a succession of rocky hills and vales, with oc- 
casional patches of wheat, scattered olives, vines and 
figs. In an hour or so, we came to a scene of beauty 
and luxuriance springing up amidst the general deso- 
lation. It seemed hardly possible that there could be 
such fertility in a region naturally so unpromising. 
It reminds us that we have entered the territory of 
Ephraim, who was blessed with " the precious fruits 
brought forth by the sun — and the precious things of 
the lasting hills." The village of Yebrud is on the left, 
crowning an isolated eminence, whose sides are belted 
by tiers of handsome terraces. The skillful hand of 
intelligent cultivation is evident. The fig orchards 
are remarkable for their extent and thrifty appear- 
ance. And yet the region is exceedingly rough and 
rocky, as we wind along steep declivities, and cross 
ravines where many a wintery torrent has rushed and 
roared. The scenery is picturesque, often wild and 
enchanting, with old ruins sometimes frowning from 
the tops of the stony hills. 

We soon enter a romantic valley, called Wady-el- 
Jib. Here, as the first shadows of evening begin to 
fall, onr camping-ground, dotted with white tents, is a 



330 



THE FOUNTAIN OF ROBBERS. 



pleasant sight. The remains of a large cistern' are 
near, and not far off a stream trickles from the side of 
a cliff. The appropriate name of this spring is Ain el- 
Haramiyeh, " the Fountain of Eobbers ;" and it is 
said that scarcely a year passes but some bloody 
tragedy here transpires. It is a strange, wild, lonely 
spot, yet the adjacent fields are well cultivated. In 
surveying this narrow, deep glen, in the dark evening, 
and looking up its terraced sides to the bright stars 
above, it had the appearance of a vast, oval amphithe- 
ater, and reminded me of a night view of the Coliseum 
at Koine. We slept undisturbed, except, perhaps, by 
the tramping of a horse or braying of a donkey be- 
longing to our escort. In the bright, fresh morning, 
we proceeded up the valley, gradually widening, and 
the hills becoming less steep. In our enjoyment of 
the fine weather and romantic scenery, we could ap- 
preciate the lively description found in the Hand- 
Book: "The ride through this district in spring is 
most charming. The terraced hills are so quaint ; the 
winding valleys so picturesque ; the wild flowers, 
anemones, poppies, convolvolus and hollyhocks, so 
brilliant and so plentiful ; the somber foliage of the 
olive, and deep green of the fig, and bright green of 
the young corn on the terraces, all give such exquisite 
hues to the landscape. Add to this the gray ruins 
perched on rocky hill tops ; and the peasants in their 
gay dresses — red, and green, and white ; and the 
strings of mules, and donkeys, and camels, defiling 
along the narrow paths, their bells awaking the 
echoes ; and the Arab with his tufted spear or brass- 
bound musket ; and the shepherd leading his goats 



SEILUX — SHTLOH". 



331 



along the mountain side, or grouped with them round 
a fountain ; and the traveler from the far west — the 
oddest figure among them all — with, his red face, and 
white hat, and jaded hack, and nondescript trappings." 

We journey on amid such scenes — rocks, hills, val- 
leys, one or two little villages, looking like loose grav 
stone heaps on the distant oval summits or slopes — 
and in an hour or so, turning off the main path 
to the right, we come to a very interesting locality. 
It is Seilun, the ancient Shiloh. Xaked. rounded 
hills, with ruins here and there, and a few cultivated 
fields, mark the place. We passed the remains of an 
old church, whose walls are supported by buttresses, 
and within are some broken Corinthian columns. A 
little farther down the hid is another old building, 
that may have been a mosque. In front of it is a 
fine oak tree. Here I read several passages of Scrip- 
tare relating to Shiloh. Its location is well described 
in the Book of Judges, as being "on the north side of 
Bethel, on the east of the highway that goeth up from 
Bethel to Sheehem, and on the south of Lebonah." 
This is so accurate in every particular, that there can- 
not be a doubt that we are here on the very site of 
Shiloh. Here, probably on the top of this little hill, the 
Tabernacle of the Lord was first permanently set up in 
the land, being brought hither from the camp at Gilo-al. 
Here the whole congregation of Israel assembled again 
to receive each his allotted portion of the promised and 
now accepted possession. Here Elkanah came every 
year from Raman to offer sacrifice ; here Hannah 
prayed ; here the child Samuel was brought and lent 
to the Lord by the grateful mother ; and here that 



332 



SHILOH — ITS HISTORY. 



child served the Lord and heard his voice. Here the 
aged Eli, who restrained not his sons, fell down dead 
on receiving intelligence of their death in battle, and 
the capture of the Ark by the Philistines. Eli was 
probably buried in one of those rock-hewn sepulchres 
in the valley a little to the east. The Shiloh maidens 
were accustomed to dance by themselves at an annual 
festival held in honor of the Ark. At the foot of the 
hill are the ruins of an old well, and it was probably 
there that the scene transpired. The remnant of the 
Benjamites, who were forbidden to take wives of Is- 
rael, lay concealed in the adjacent vineyards on the 
hillside, and rushing suddenly among the dancing vir- 
gins, seized and carried off two hundred of them. 
How lifelike these distant events appear, when we 
look upon the localities where they occurred. We 
can almost see the disguised wife of Jeroboam steal- 
ing hither to consult the prophet Ahijah about her 
sick child. She received no comfort, but rather heard 
terrible judgments denounced upon the wicked house 
to which she belonged. Shiloh not only lost its 
glory in the capture of the Ark, but it would seem, 
from a passage in Jeremiah, that its ruin was accom- 
plished not long afterwards. " But go ye now unto 
my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name 
at the first, and see what I did to it for the wicked- 
ness of my people Israel." 

It was an interesting thought, as I was on this jour- 
ney from Judea to Galilee, that I was passing along 
the same path, among the same hills and valleys, 
where our blessed Saviour had journeyed with his 
jjjsciples. His eyes had rested upon some of the same 



LEBOXJ^ — AEAB HOKSES. 



333 



objects that now greet mine — these rocks, these hill- 
Bides, these fountains. Probably He had looked back 
from Mount Scopus upon the Holy City. He saw 
Gibeon, and Mizpeh, and Anathoth ; He passed 
through Gibeah, Ramah and Beeroth ; He looked 
upon Bethel and Shiloh. Passing through these 
localities, then ancient and hallowed by Scripture his- 
tory and Divine manifestations, on His way to Jacob's 
Well, what were the thoughts of His mind, to whom 
all events and all history were equally transparent, 
and what communications did He make to His disci- 
ples by the way ! 

After gathering a few flowers and other memorials 
amidst the ruins of Shiloh, we crossed several wheat- 
fields, and descended on the north into a little glen, 
which we followed westward till we joined the main 
road. AVe were now in a beautiful green plain, about 
a mile in length, enclosed by dark, lofty hills. A 
narrow ravine through the western ridge affords an 
outlet for a winter-stream to the plain of Sharon. On 
a hillside at the left, is the village of Lubban, the 
modern representative of the city of Lebouah, that in 
the days of -Israel's judges lay between Shiloh and 
Shechem. Over the beaten path on this level and 
fertile plain, some of our Arab horses gallop with a 
fleetness and grace for which they are justly celebra- 
ted. "We cross a valley at the end of the plain, hav- 
ing passed an old khan or castle on our right, while 
now and then a village is seen on the stony hills 
stretching away on either hand. A mountain-like 
elevation is now before us, which we climb by a long, 
winding path, among rocks and ridges, gray, bleak 

13* 



334 A FINE VIEW — FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS. 



and lesolate. It is a wearisome ascent, but the vista 
that opens to the view on reaching the summit is fair, 
far and beautiful. We stop as if entranced, and 
silently admire the varied loveliness and splendor of 
the landscape. 

Up to the crest of this ridge our divine Saviour 
came, on the bright morning of that day when He 
journeyed with His disciples and rested at noon by 
Jacob's Well, which, were it an object of sufficient 
prominence, might be seen from this point. In 
reflecting that His feet have pressed this soil, and His 
eyes have looked upon these hills and plains, one 
wishes that he might have been here to journey with 
the Lord, to hear His words, and to receive His 
blessing. And then the thought springs up — Well, 
the blessed Saviour is still with His disciples, gra- 
ciously, lovingly present, wherever they are. Did He 
not say, " Lo, I am with you always V and this dear 
promise, with the fact that He was once bodily here, 
brings a refreshing and heavenly sweetness to the 
heart. 

< here with His flock the sad Wanderer came ; 
These hills He toiled over in grief are the same : 
The founts where He drank by the wayside still flow, 
And the same airs are blowing which breathed on His brow." 

What continually strikes the traveler, and makes 
Palestine so different from our land and other lands, 
is the utter absence of forests, the scarcity of trees^ 
and the denuded, discrowned appearance of the hills 
and mountains, together with the perpetual stoniness, 
especially of the regions of Judah and Benjamin. 
But we are now entering a different country. The 



PLAIN OF MOREH OR MUKHNA. 



335 



mountain territory of Epliraim is distinguished for its 
little fertile plains, several of which we have already 
passed.* We constantly see evidences about us, in 
the abundance of vines, figs, olives and corn, that 
Ephraim was blessed with " the chief things of the 
ancient mountains." It was not in vain the dying 
patriarch deliberately rested his right hand on the 
head of Joseph's younger son, and said, " In thee shall 
Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim." 

The view before us from this high ridge, as we look 
down northward upon the plain of Moreh, gives us 
fresh impressions of the exuberant richness of this 
central portion of Palestine. The plain stretches away 
for a dozen miles, perhaps, while its breadth, in its 
widest parts, does not exceed two. Neither fence nor 
village is seen on its lawn-like surface. A few olive 
groves fringe its borders, bounded on the east by a 
low, irregular line of dark hills, and on the west by 
much higher elevations, whose grand summits are also 
more bold and barren. The most prominent of these 
is Mount Gerizim. On its top we see a white wely 
marking the place where once stood the Samaritan 
Temple. Mount Ebal, partly hidden, is just beyond , 
while in the valley between the two is Nablus, the 
site of ancient Shechem or Sychar. We descend the 
hill and enter upon this beautiful plain, now called 
el-Mukhna. Its great fertility is evident, and thriving 
corn-fields seem to cover its entire surface. Tillages 
appear on both sides, perched high up on the slopes 
or summits, built there, not for convenience, but for 
security. The natives have a wild and fierce appear- 
ance, and the men are all armed with long guns, pis- 



336 



AHMED NATIVES — SALUTATIONS. 



tols, daggers, and knob-headed clubs. We frequently 
meet these fellows straggling along in tattered gar- 
ments, part of them driving donkeys loaded with 
grain or straw. They all go armed while at work in 
the fields, watching their flocks among the hills, or on 
their journe} T s, lest they shold meet some representa- 
tive of a hostile tribe or family, and the revenge of an 
old blood-feud should be gratified in the murder of a 
new victim. 

A few years ago it was unsafe for a time, on ac- 
count of hostile tribes, for travelers to pass through 
this region. But no hostile intentions were ever 
manifested towards us, though the neighborhood lias 
a bad reputation. We are accustomed to address 
these fierce-looking men, as well as others, when we 
meet them, with the usual salutations in Arabic, and 
they almost universally return them with a pleasant 
recognition and a graceful bow, at the same time 
bringing their right hand to their forehead, breast and 
lips. 

As we proceed up the plain, we journey under the 
shadow of Gerizim, the Mountain of Blessing, which 
rises loftily on our left. Passing along to the point 
of a low spur projecting from the base of Gerizim to 
the northeast, we soon reach that very ancient and 
most interesting spot, Jacob's Well. A pile of shape- 
less ruins, including several fragments of granite 
columns, lie around it. A vaulted chamber formerly 
covered the entrance, in the floor of which was the 
opening to the well. Within a few years a portion of 
the vault has fallen in, and completely covered up the 
mouth, so I had not the pleasure of looking down into 



Jacob's well — its history. 



337 



the depths of the well. We could drop into it, how- 
ever, a small pebble, through the crevices of the loose 
stones. The Samaritan woman said to our Saviour, 
"The well is deep." Travelers have described it as 
being seventy-five feet deep, excavated in the solid 
rock, nine feet in diameter, perfectly round, and the 
sides being smoothly hewn. The few old columns 
and building-stones lying about are probably the ruins 
of a church that is said to have been built over this 
well by Helena, to commemorate a spot so hallowed by 
the presence of Jesus. Jerome, in the fourth century, 
speaks of a church being here. There is no doubt 
about the authenticity of the site. It must be, from 
its position, and the objects mentioned about it, the 
identical well where our Divine Lord, weary with his 
journey up the plain, sat down at midday to rest — 
just as travelers still stop here in the noon or evening 
of the spring-clay — just as we stopped and sat down 
on that well a little past noon on the 23th of March. 
How intensely interesting a place ! How vivid the 
review of its sacred historic scenes ! A little to the 
west of it are the twin mountains Gerizim and Ebal. 
Between them, in a narrow picturesque valley, is the 
site of Shechem. A little north of the well is Joseph's 
Tomb, a small white building, partly embowered in 
trees. The adjacent plain stretches away in beauti- 
ful verdure, covered with the young and growing 
wheat. 

To this place, divinely called and directed, Abra- 
ham came from Ur of the Chaldees, and from Haran, 
and entering this rich plain from the north, pitched 
here his tent for the first time in the Land of Canaan. 



338 Jacob's well and parcel of a field. 

lie came to the place of Sichem unto the plain of 
Moreh." Here he " builded an altar unto the Lord, 
who appeared unto him," and promised to give this 
land to him and his posterity. The first altar in the 
Holy Land must have been within a few rods of the 
place where we are sitting at the well. Abraham 
journeyed south to Bethel and Hebron, but his grand- 
son Jacob, many years afterwards, on his return from 
Padan-aram, having crossed the Jordan with his two 
bands, " came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, and 
pitched his tent before" — that is, east of — " the city;" 
and so it must have been near this spot. " And he 
bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his 
tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's 
father." On that " parcel " he made his well, and 
the bones of his son Joseph were brought up from 
Egypt and buried here, perhaps at the spot now indi- 
cated by the little wall -in closed building known as his 
tomb. Jacob removed to Hebron, but still retained 
possession of his field here ; and it was to this spot 
he sent Joseph to look after his brethren, when u a 
certain man found him wandering in the field," and 
directed him to Dothan, whither they had gone. 

Interesting as this spot is, in its connection with the 
patriarchs, it had to me a deeper and holier charm in 
its association with our blessed Lord, who held here a 
memorable conversation with the woman of Samaria. 
As we sat on the well, I read alond that inimitable 
narrative in the fourth chapter of John's Gospel, and 
read it with new interest, looking upon objects it 
mentions. The Divine Man " must needs go " past 
this spot, when " He left Judea and departed into Gav 



CHRIST AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN". 



339 



ilee." Wearied with the journey, and oppressed by 
the heat, He sat down at noon by this well. Up that 
passage in the valley, between Gerizim and Ebal, His 
disciples went away into the city to buy food. Down 
the same passage or gorge came the woman to draw 
water, according to the unvarying custom of the East, 
which still, in the lively concourse of veiled figures 
round the wayside wells, reproduces the image of 
Rebekah and Rachel. She came to this well, instead 
of procuring water in or near the city, because it 
might have been of better quality here, or very likely 
she attached some special sacredness to the water of 
JacoVs Well. " Jesus said unto her, Give me to 
drink and considering the universal hospitality and 
courtesy of the Orientals, her refusal and reply were 
indicative of the bigotry and enmity of the Samaritans 
against the Jews. Then followed the wondrous dia- 
logue which so interested and astonished the woman, as 
Jesus directed her attention from the well to the Water 
of Life. " Our fathers worshiped in this mountain " 
said she, pointing, no doubt, to the Samaritan sanctu- 
ary full in view on the summit of Gerizim. Our 
Lord then unfolded the freedom and fullness of the 
Gospel, dispelling the idea of special virtue or sanctity 
in particular localities, and announcing the essential 
spirituality of true worship. His divine words led her 
to think and speak of the Messiah, and then came the 
glorious announcement, " I that speak unto thee am 
He." Her heart had been touched, and her faith re- 
ceived this blessed revelation. She forgot her errand 
— for she left her water-pot — in the joy of finding her 



340 



Jacob's well — the harvest. 



Saviour, arid hastened up the vale to the city to pub- 
lish the glad tidings. 

The disciples had returned, and were conversing 
with the Lord, while the beautiful plain was spread out 
before tliera, verdant with the young wheat, suggesting 
the beautiful figure : "Say not ye, There are yet four 
months, and then cometh harvest ? Behold, I say unto 
you, lift up your heads and look on the fields, for they 
are white already to harvest" — pointing, perhaps, in 
the other direction up the valley, where the people of 
Sychar, whom the woman had called, were now flock- 
ing down towards Him. It was a harvest of souls 
that was ready, and the reapers not only received 
wages, but gathered fruit unto life eternal. O blessed 
story of Jacob's Well ! Though the daughters of Sam- 
aria come no more to draw from its depths, yet the 
Living Water still flow*. The footprints of patriarchs 
are here, and those of Him who is greater than Jacob, 
and the echo of His heavenly voice lingers here, in 
the gracious words that fell from His lips. 



The Tomb of Joseph is a short distance north of Ja- 
cob's Well. The interior of the little building is cov- 
ered with pilgrims' names in various languages, the 
Hebrew being quite prominent. Jews and Samari- 
tans, Christians and Moslems, all concur in the belief 
that this is the veritable spot where the patriarch was 
buried. This is a portion of that " parcel of ground 
which Jacob bought of Hamor and gave to his son 
Joseph." If this ground were excavated, perhaps the 
sarcophagus might be found in which his embalmed 
remains were placed, as they were brought out of 
Egypt to their burial here, according to the Divine 
record. The tomb lias an agreeable situation, and 
stands a little nearer the base of Ebal than of Gerizim. 
Turning westward, we are soon in the valley of Nab- 
lus, and the city itself is before us, most picturesque- 
ly nestled between the two mountains. Its white 
domes and slender minarets are gleaming in the sun- 
light, while gardens and groves surround it. ISTo city 
in Palestine has a situation and surroundings more 
romantic and delightful. Corn fields and orchards, 
abounding in fruit-trees of various kinds, enliven and 
diversify the view. Fountains and streams murmur 
at our feet, and most musical bird-songs greet us from 
(305) 



342 VALE OY NABLTJS — READING THE LAW. 



the tree-tops. The greater part of the town lies on the 
south side of the valley, clinging to the base of Geriz- 
im. The fine fertile vale opens like a gateway from 
the plain of Moreh, and the two mountains rising 
steeply from its smooth bed, shut it in with their dark 
rocky sides on the north and south. Nablus occupies 
the highest part of the vale, and is the site of ancient 
Shechem, one of the oldest cities of the world. As 
we approached the town between these two bold 
mountains, I thought of that vast assembly and most 
impressive scene, when the whole congregation of 
Israel was gathered here to listen to the reading of 
the Law by Joshua. The valley is narrowest — the 
mountains come nearest to each other — towards the 
eastern end. There, no doubt, the immense concourse 
was gathered. " All Israel, and their elders, and offi- 
cers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark, and 
on that side, before the priests and the Levites, which 
bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord — half of them 
over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them over 
against Mount Ebal." What an immense procession 
was that of the tribes, with the women and children 
and strangers, that came np here according to the 
command of Moses. They doubtless swept up the 
plain, and gathered around the Ark here in this nar- 
row pass. On Gerizim the blessings and on Ebal the 
cursings were pronounced in the presence of this vast 
assembly, and their thunders of response were like 
the sound of many waters. The scene must have been 
incomparably august and impressive. And now I 
was passing along the very spot where that immense 
multitude stood thirty-three centuries ago, and the 



KABLUS — HISTORY OF SHECHEM. 



343 



echoes of the blessings and cursings, with the mighty 
Amen from the answering throng, seem to linger amid 
the cliffs of those sublime mountains, still bearing 
their ancient names, and still silently, boldly witness- 
ing to the truth of the inspired record. 

We enter the city of Nablus, and ride through its 
long street, partly flooded, nearly its whole length, 
with a fine stream of water. The houses and shops, 
full of staring people, are thickly ranged on either side, 
and sometimes built on arches spanning the narrow 
path. Our camping-ground is an olive grove, just 
outside of the city, on one of the lower slopes of Ge- 
rizim. The city is larger than I supposed, and con- 
tains a population of about eight thousand, including 
some five hundred Christians, one hundred and fifty 
Samaritans, and a still smaller number of Jews. 

During the rule of the Judges, Abimelech seized 
Shechem, and was proclaimed king by " the oak of 
the pillar." This was the occasion of Jotham's as- 
cending Mount Gerizim, and lifting up his voice, ad- 
dressed the Shechemites in that beautiful and cutting 
parable of the trees going forth to anoint a king over 
them ; and as one after another refused, they called 
the bramble to reign over them. Here Rehoboam, 
son of Solomon, was declared king over all Israel. 
But soon after, in consequence of his folly, the ten 
tribes revolted, making Jeroboam the son of Kebat 
king, and establishing the seat of the new monarchy 
in Shechem, which subsequently yielded the honor to 
Samaria. It became, however, the metropolis of the 
Samaritans as a sect, and remains so still, The Em- 
peror Yespasian rebuilt Shechem, and called it Keap 



344 OLIVE TREES OIL ASCENT OF GEEIZIM. 



olis, from which the present Arabic Kablus is derived 
Justin Martyr, whose interesting account of the early 
Christians has been preserved, was a native of this 
place, where he was born in the latter part of the 
first century. ISTablus appears to be a thriving city 
its business is considerable, and its chief productions 
are soap, cotton and oil. The last is celebrated for its 
excellence. The olive groves, so abundant in the 
Holy Land, are very numerous here. Every village 
and hamlet is embowered in these pleasant and ever- 
green trees. The olive matures slowly, lives long, and 
is the most productive of all trees or crops. It con- 
stitutes a great part of the wealth and comfort of the 
people. The berries are pickled and eaten as a relish. 
All dishes are cooked in oil. It supplies the lamps in 
every dwelling. All the soap in the country is made 
from it. Isaiah speaks of " the shaking of an olive 
tree." The berries ripen in November, are shaken 
from the trees by men, and picked up by women and 
children, who carry th em away on their heads. They 
are placed in the circular cavity of a rock, and a large 
stone rolled over them. The crushed mass is gathered 
into mats, and put into the rude press. The liquor 
flows off, is heated slightly, and the oil is skimmed 
from the top, and poured into skins or earthern jars. 

I was not willing to forego a visit to the site of the 
Samaritan Temple, and the gratification of a view 
from the summit of Gerizim. About four o'clock in 
the afternoon, a few of us began the ascent. It was 
a long and fatiguing, as well as agreeable walk. 
The steep path follows a beautiful glen south of the 
town, and is for some distance bordered by dwellings 



THE SAMAEITAN TEMPLE. 



845 



embowered in a variety of foliage, palm-trees, and 
bold cliffs. Birds sing in the boughs, and streams 
murmur at our feet. AVe pass women and children, 
having an unusually cheerful and agreeable appear- 
ance. Soon we get above trees and fountains, and 
find a long and very steep ascent to climb. At the 
top a broad and broken plateau stretches out before 
us. Loose stones are abundant, but the soil is here 
and there cultivated in little patches. We proceed 
along eastward about half a mile over this dreary sur- 
face to the base of a rocky knoll, which is the summit 
of the mountain. Here is a little spot of level ground 
where the Samaritans encamp at their Feast of the 
Passover. Xear by is a circular pit, in which the 
Paschal lambs are roasted. We reach the summit by 
an ascent of about two hundred yards, and rind there 
the remains of an immense structure of huge stones, 
old and massive walls, towers, and various apart- 
ments. The main edifice appears to have been nearly 
square, each side measuring about two hundred and 
fifty feet. At the northern side is a conspicuous 
Moslem wely. These ruins indicate the site of the 
Samaritan Temple, though a more modern edifice, 
perhaps a Eoman fortress, may have been built over 
its foundation-stones. To the Samaritans this is a sa- 
cred place, and they locate around it several events 
in Jewish history, which elsewhere transpired. For 
instance, under the western wall there are a number 
of flat stones, and we are told by some that under 
these are placed the " twelve stones" brought out of 
the bed of the Jordan, while others affirm that these 
are the veritable stones themselves. A smooth sur 



846 



A SHRTME — VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. 



face of natural rock lies a little south of these ruins, 
its western edge terminating in an irregular excava- 
tion or rocky pit, in which I observed water. Here is 
the Samaritan shrine, or " Holy of holies," towards 
which they turn in prayer, and on approaching which 
they take off their shoes. They have a tradition that 
un this rock Abraham sacrificed the ram, instead of 
his son. Our guide tried hard to make us understand 
just where Isaac was laid on the altar, and where the 
ram was caught in the thicket. Here, they say, Jacob 
had his heavenly vision, and named the place Bethel ; 
and that here the Ark was placed, and the Tabernacle 
set up. It was important for the Samaritans, being 
imitators and rivals as well as haters of the Jews, to 
locate these events in their own territory ; and what 
place so befitting as Mount Gerizim ? 

This rocky knoll rises like a crest from the broad 
summit of the mountain, and almost overhangs the 
beautiful plain on the east. The view here is diversi- 
fied, charming, glorious. I shall never forget the 
vision presented, as I stood amidst those old ruins in 
the mellow rays of the declining sun on a vernal day. 
The rich and velvety plain of Moreh, or Mnkhna, is 
at my feet. A green arm of it breaks into the dark 
hills on the east, directly across from the vale of Kah- 
ilis. A village north of that arm, in a cluster of olive 
trees on an acclivity, is called Salim, and it may 
occupy the site of that ancient " Shalem, a city of 
Shechem," near which Jacob pitched his tent when 
he returned, from Padan-aram. Yonder, at the north- 
east, the patriarch crossed the Jordan with his two 
bands, coming through the deep cleft in the dark 



A FINE PANORAMA — JOSEPH. 



34? 



mountain wall beyond, made by the Jabbok in its 
flow toward the Jordan. Through the same vale, no 
doubt. Abram came from the land of the Chaldees, 
and pitched his tent near the place of Jacob's Well, 
which I see beneath me. The eastern view is bounded 
by the long, somber mountain-chain of Gilead and 
Moab. On the north, the eye traces rugged ridges 
and rounded peaks succeeding each other till the far 
climax is reached in the shadowy form and snowy 
crown of Hermon. On the west, through breaks and 
gorges among the hills, I get glimpses of the plain of 
Sharon, and of the glassy, cloud-like surface of the 
Mediterranean Sea, stretching away beyond. All 
around me are the mountains of Ephraim — the strong- 
hold and rich possession of the house of Joseph. The 
fertile plains and winding vales below are verdant 
with the growing corn, and are clothed with the fat- 
ness of the olive and the vine. " Joseph is a fruitful 
bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose 
branches run over the wall." There are many exam- 
ples of the practical foresight and sagacity of Jacob, 
and these traits are strikingly illustrated in his securing 
this rich possession in the heart of Canaan, and 
reserving it for his favorite son. " The blessings of 
thy father have prevailed above the blessings of thy 
progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting 
hills ; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the 
crown of the head of him that was separate from his 
brethren." 

The next morning was bright and clear, and the 
sun rose in golden beauty upon our tents, while we 
were greeted with bird-songs of peculiar sweetness. 



34B SAMARITAN SYNAGOGUE — PENTATEtidtf. 



After breakfast we were conducted, through the most 
filthy of lanes and tunnel-like alleys, to the Samaritan 
synagogue in the south part of Nabltis. It is a small 
old building, and we were required to remove our 
boots and shoes, and enter it in our stocking-feet. 
There we were shown a famous copy of the Penta- 
teuch. The parchment was unrolled from its tin case, 
and we inspected the venerable manuscript, said to 
have been written by Abishua, the son of Phinehas, 
the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, and so must be 
about three thousand three hundred years old. It is a 
huge roll, dingy and patched, and sufficiently curious 
to attract attention. 

The Samaritans still observe their ancient rites, and 
in solemn processions go three times a year to the top 
of Gerizim, reading the Law as they ascend. Theso 
occasions are the Feast of the Passover, the Day of 
Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. On Friday 
evening they pray in their houses, and on Saturday — 
their Sabbath — in their synagogue, accompanying the 
public services with various prostrations, and loud 
and hurried recitations. It is a singular fact that their 
number — hardly a hundred and fifty, all told — has 
remained about the same for several centuries. They 
still hate the Jews as cordially as they did when the 
woman declared to our Lord that the two nations had 
no dealings with each other. This rule is sometimes 
departed from when they can strike a good bargain in 
business or trade. 

We left our camping-ground amid the songs of 
birds in the olive groves, in strange contrast with the 
moaning importunity of begging lepers, reaching 



LEPMtS— SdENES EY Ttffi WAT. 349 

forth their stumps of hands, and upturning their ter- 
ribly disfigured faces. Perhaps they are the descend- 
ants of Gehazi, the dishonest servant of Elisha, on 
whom the curse of this fearful disease was pronounced 
forever. The road from Nablus to Samaria is, like all 
the other roads in the Holy Land, a foot or bridle- 
path, winding among hills and valleys. There are no 
fences to protect the fields, which are cultivated close 
to the path, so that some of the seed scattered by the 
sower would naturally fall " by the wayside." The 
" stony places" are abundant, and the plant that has " no 
deepness of earth" is soon " scorched" by the hot 
Syrian sun. As we descend from the city, leaving 
Gerizim and Ebal behind, but still follow the valley 
that divides them, we find, for some distance, an 
exceedingly rich, well-cultivated and picturesque 
region, abounding in orchards of olive, fig, apricot, 
apple, and pomegranate, intermingled with gardens 
and vineyards, and murmuring waters, rushing on in 
their natural 01 artificial channels, now turning a 
mill-wheel, and then forming a cascade amidst old 
Koman ruins. Flowers of different forms and hues 
border and fringe our path. Fields of wheat and 
barley, and one of oats — the only one I recollect to have 
seen — are observed as we proceed. Long lines of 
donkeys, and camels tied one behind the other, and 
heavily laden with sacks of wheat and flour, pass us 
with their Arab attendants. We find shepherds with 
their flocks at some fountain near the wayside, or go- 
ing "before them" among the hills, and calling their 
own sheep by name. In rough places, I have seen 
the shepherd with a lamb under his arm, and another 

14 



350 



SHEPHERDS — BEDAWIfr. 



in his bosom, its little head protruding from the 
opening in the loose garment above the girdle — recall- 
ing at once the beautiful prophecy of the Good Shep- 
herd : " He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and 
carry them in his bosom." It is easy to see how 
quickly the eye of the " shepherd divideth his sheep 
from the goats," as the former are white and the lat- 
ter black. Savage looking Bedawin, crossing oui 
path, or ranging the fields, are frequently seen, 
wretchedly clad, and armed with long clubs having 
knotty heads, and often with old rusty guns on their 
shoulders, and daggers in their girdles. The valley 
grows broader as we proceed, and turning to the right, 
we climb among the hills, while a considerable plain 
lies off to our left. Tillage after village meets the 
eye on the round tops of the hills, or clinging to their 
slopes amid the rocks. 



XXVII. 



Samaria;— ^al\n— $msm of Wmm$* 

Having arrived at the top of a ridge commanding 
a wide, view, onr eyes fasten with deep interest on the 
" hill Samaria," which King Omri bought of Shemer, 
and where he erected his palace, before Homer began 
to sing his wonderful songs in the villages of Greece. 
This bell-shaped hill rises about six hundred feet 
above the broad green valleys that separate it from 
the encircling mountains beyond. It has a fine plateau 
on the summit, hardly reached by the modern village 
clinging to the eastern slope. The situation is splen- 
did, and the landscape enchanting. ISTo wonder it 
attracted the eye of King Omri, as the seat of his 
capital and palace. It is a beautiful gem among the 
hills of Ephraim, set in as rich a framework as the 
country affords. 

Descending the long slope into the valley among 
olive trees, we then climb the hill Samaria by a short, 
steep acclivity amidst rubbish and ruins. In the 
walls of the village houses and in the walls of the 
terraces on the hillside are seen various relics of an- 
cient structures that must have been ample and gor- 
geous. Near the summit on the east is the ruined 
Church of Saint John, now used for a mosque. It is 
a conspicuous object, and once must have been a 



852 



SAMAEIA — CHTJECH — COLONNADE. 



splendid edifice. Its roof is gone, but its walls of 
hewn-stone and Gothic window-spaces remain. It 
was built-in honor of John the Baptist, as there is an 
old tradition that here he was buried, a deep excava- 
tion in the rock under the church being still shown aa 
his tomb. Subsequently this spot was also regarded 
as the place of his imprisonment and execution. 
Passing along the southern brow of the hill shaded 
with olive groves, we observe by the way a large 
number of round stone columns standing erect in the 
soil — I should think there must be a hundred of 
them — while others lie prostrate amid masses of ruins. 
I noticed also in a terrace-wall a single Corinthian 
capital, a relic of those that once crowned these 
columns. They must have formed a part of some 
magnificent temple, or grand colonnade. They are 
about two feet in diameter at the base and rise above 
the ground perhaps a dozen feet, and extend for quite 
a distance around to the western brow of the hill. 
Perhaps they were the ornaments of a magnificent 
street, and indicate the splendor of the city in which 
they stood. But they are now the grim skeletons of a 
glory departed, and the hill that once glittered with 
palaces and temples is almost as bare as it was when 
Israel's king bought it. Looking from amidst " these 
solitary columns shooting up from clustering vines 
and green corn, on the piles of hewn stones in the lit- 
tle terraced fields, and on the great heaps among the 
olive trees below, we cannot but recall the striking, 
the fearful prediction of Micah," that has been so re- 
markably verified : " I will make Samaria as an heap 
of the field ; and I will pour down the stones thereof 



PBESENT INHABITANTS — HISTORY. 



into the valley, and I will discover the foundation 
thereof." 

The present inhabitants, about four hundred in all, 
have a bad name, and are sometimes insolent and 
troublesome to travelers. A number of them, includ- 
ing a group of children, followed us around the hill, 
but did little more than to wall up in one instance our 
path. As we descended the northern slope we obser- 
ved in a nook or depression of a green open field, a 
striking group of standing columns similar to those 
already described. They are probably the remains of 
some structure built by Herod the Great, who erected 
magnificent edifices in Samaria, and gave it the name 
of Stbaste, in honor of Augustus, it being the name 
of the Emperor rendered into Greek. The Arabs 
call it Sebustieh. 

Samaria had an eventful and chequered history. It 
was the capital of Israel about forty years, and was 
often the seat of idolatry and crime. Ahab, adopting 
the religion of his Sidonian wife, built here a temple 
for Baal, which was destroyed with a great slaughter 
of idolators by the impetuous Jehu. From those 
mountains of Gilead at the east came the bold and 
wonderful prophet Elijah to rebuke the wicked king, 
and herald the long drouth. Probably in the vale at 
the northern foot of the hill were encamped the great 
besieging army of Benhaclad from Damascus, so sig- 
nally defeated by a handful of Israelites. Ahab was 
fatally pierced by an arrow from " the bow drawn at 
a venture," in the battle which he and Jehoshaphat 
fought against the Syrians for the recovery of Ramoth- 
Gilead. His blood-stained chariot returned from the 



354 



SAMAEIA — MANASSEH. 



valley of the Jordan with his dead body to Samaria. 
Here he was buried ; " and one washed the chariot in 
the pool of Samaria" — perhaps the same reservoir that 
still exists near the old church. Here Elisha had his 
home for a time, and several striking events in his 
history occurred. Up the northern slope of this hill 
he must have led the Syrian army struck blind at 
Dothan. Here came, through the influence of a cap- 
tive Hebrew maid, the Syrian captain ISTaaman to be 
cured of his leprosy, and applying to Elisha probably 
at Gilgal, was directed to wash in the Jordan. Here 
was the scene of the interesting story of the four 
leprous men sitting at the entering in of the gate, 
during a Syrian seige when the famine was so severe 
that women killed and eat their infant sons. Here 
came Philip, after the death of Stephen, and preached 
the Gospel with wonderful success, where the sorcerer 
Simon had long thrived by his impostures. Under 
the monarchs of the northern kingdom, and under 
Herod the Great, the city was distinguished for its 
glaring idolatries and monstrous crimes, as well as for 
its beauty and grandeur. Its present condition re- 
peats the prophecy : "Samaria shall become desolate, 
for she hath rebelled against her God." 

In leaving Samaria w r e found the northern slope of 
the hill and the valley below entirely devoid of trees 
and presenting a dreary appearance. We are passing 
now from the territory of Ephraim to that of Manas- 
seh. From the valley we wind up a rocky acclivity, 
and pass over terraced hills and among orange groves 
and little villages here and there on the slopes or sum- 
mits. ]S r ow, as we rise to a mountain-like ridge, a 



JEBA — PLAIN" OF SANUR. 



355 



glorious panorama is spread out before us. A little 
green plain, rich and fertile, seems a beautiful picture 
in a rough rock-frame, while vine-clad hills and ver- 
dant valleys relieve and diversify the scene. One of 
the largest villages we pass is Jeba, a flourishing 
place, quite picturesquely situated on a slope looking 
clown into a green vale, and surrounded by the thriv- 
ing olive and fig and fragrant thyme. Here is an in- 
tersecting road direct from Nablus. Emerging from 
our course through a narrow valley half an hour 
beyond, we come to the circular plain of Sanur. It is 
three or four miles in diameter, has a low, marshy, 
lake-like appearance, a portion of it being covered 
with water. Having no outlet through the surround- 
ing hills a large body of water collects here in winter, 
but it dries up in summer, and the plain is then 
cultivated. The natives call it the " Drowning Mead- 
ow." At the southwest corner of this plain is the 
village of Sanur, enclosed by a fortress, and inhabited 
by a rude, turbulent, and quarrelsome people, whose 
acquaintance some travelers have found to be deci- 
dedly disagreeable. About a mile beyond this plain 
we obtain a tine and splendid view from the crest of a 
rocky ridge. Before and below us is the village of 
Kubatieh, nestled among flourishing groves of olive, 
while to the west of it there is a beautiful net- work of 
plains and vales. Northward we can look through 
these passes of Manasseh into the great plain of 
Esdraelon, whose broad green surface stretches away 
to the hills of Nazareth. 

We are now about six miles from Samaria and 
twelve from Shechem. Here, under the shade of an 



356 DOTHAN — PITS OR DRY CISTERNS. 



old olive, we spread our carpet and sit down for 
lunch. And here let us read and think of the interest- 
ing and thrilling events that have transpired in that 
beautiful and fertile spot a little west of us. There is 
a charming green plain with adjacent rounded hills— 
a most delightful place, admirabl} r adapted for pasture- 
grounds and the feeding of flocks. That verdant hill 
near the southern side cf the plain still bears the 
familiar name of Dothan — or Tell Dothain — doubtless 
the same spot that bore that name three thousand six 
hundred years ago. Jacob was then living in Hebron, 
and from thence came his favorite son Joseph to 
inquire after the welfare of his shepherd brethren. 
Not finding them near Shechem, he was directed 
hither where they had removed with their flocks. As 
he came to the top of the hill we have just ascended, 
and which overlooks Dothan, " they saw him afar off," 
recognizing his brilliant robe, and in their envy, 
u conspired against him to slay him." Perhaps a dili- 
gent search would be rewarded by finding the identi- 
cal pit into which Joseph was cast. These pits, or dry 
cisterns, are common in Palestine. I have seen them 
in various places ; there are some on the Mount of 
Olives. The opening, three or four feet in diameter, 
is level with the ground, and they may be twelve feet 
deep, and about the same at their largest diameter, 
being circular in form. The sides are smoothly plas- 
tered or cemented, and a person falling into one of 
them, as sometimes happens, could not get out with- 
out help. These pits are often referred to in the 
Bible. They are the store-houses of the farmers. All 
kinds of grain, after being threshed and winowed, are 



JOSEPH SOLD ELISHA AT DO THAN. 



357 



housed in them. They are perfectly dry and tight ; 
and the opening being hermetically sealed and cov- 
ered with earth, grain and other stores are there safe 
from rats, mice and ants, and also concealed from rob- 
bers. In Jeremiah there is an account of ten men 
saving themselves from Ishmael's slaughters by say- 
ing, " Slay us not, for we have treasures in the field, 
of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. " 
Their treasures were hid in these dry cisterns or pits. 
Poor Joseph's cries were disregarded, and his cruel 
brothers sold him to Midianite merchants passing with 
their loaded camels from res-ions bevond the Jordan 
down to Egypt, just as they do at this day over the 
same thoroughfare. Indeed, I saw in that vicinity 
some of these trading Ishmaelite caravans moving 
down in the same direction. 

Another wonderful event transpired at Dothan. 
More than eight hundred years after Joseph came 
here, that hill around which his brethren watered their 
flocks, was crowned with a city, and for a time it was 
the resort of the prophet Elisha. The king of Syria 
was at war with the Israelites and sent his armies to 
attack them at Samaria. Elisha, anticipating his 
movements, often thwarted his purposes. Enraged 
against the prophet, he sent a legion to Dothan to take 
him. The army came down through these mountain 
passes, and with their horses and chariots, " a great 
host," surrounded the city. This was done in the 
silence of the night, and Elisha's servant in the early 
morning was overwhelmed at the sight. " Alas, my 

O CD ' •/ 

master! how shall we do?" The calm and trusting 
prophet replied : " Fear not ; for they that be with us 



358 



A CELESTIAL ARMY KUBATIEH. 



are more than they that be with them." And as he 
prayed that the young man's eyes might be opened — 

The earthly film before his face 
Was drawn aside, and in its place 
Came a soft medium, crystal clear, 
In which celestial things appear. 
Bright glories, crowning Dothan's hill, 
His raptured spirit strangely thrill ; 
All round the dazzling height he sees, 
Amid the rocks and through the trees, 
A white-robed host in armor bright — 
Chariots of fire and steeds of light. 

In this vision of those ministers of flaming fire that 
God sends to aid His people, the servant saw the 
words of his master verified. There are always more 
for them than against them. The prophet prays 
again, and the Syrian host are smitten with blindness, 
and he leads them at will to Samaria. How interest- 
ing to look upon the hill once crowned and blazing 
with that glorious heavenly army ! Precious are the 
lessons of Doth an, and a blessed thought is suggested 
to the traveler far from home : " He shall give His 
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy 
ways." 

Soon after resuming our journey we past through 
the large village of Kubatieh, finely located in a fruit- 
ful and romantic region abounding in olive-trees of 
uncommon size and thrift. A few miles, winding 
along the plain, over a rocky plateau, and through a 
verdant glen with terraced sides, bring us to the 
northern frontier of the central hills of Palestine — a 
region rich in Scripture associations. Among these 



JENIN — -EN GANNIM. 



359 



hills Gideon was reared, the great captain of Manasseh, 
whose territory lay along this frontier from the dis- 
tant hills of Bashan and Gilead beyond the Jordan 
valley on the east, to Carmel and the sea on the west. 
Here, as the hills break down into Esdaraelon, we 
cross the boundary between the provinces of Samaria 
and Galilee ; and these are the passes that were so of- 
ten defended against the invaders from the north, by 
the " horns'' of Joseph, the " ten thousands of Ephraim, 
and the thousands of Manasseh." 

Our tents are pitched just west of Jenin, on the bor- 
der of the green plain of Esdraelon, and beside a 
clear, flowing brook — a part of the river Kishon near 
its sources. Jenin, whose Scripture name is En-gan 
nin, a city of Issachar, is pleasantly situated on a 
slope that overlooks the great and fertile plain. Rich 
gardens, hedged with tall cactus or prickly pear, skirt 
the base of the hills, which rise somewhat steeply 
back of the town, while a few palm-trees below give 
an oriental aspect to the place. It contains a popula- 
tion perhaps exceeding two thousand, all Moslems, 
and of a quarreling disposition. En gannim signifies 
the " Fountain of Gardens," and the fountain which 
made its ancient gardens so flourishing still flows to 
enrich and beautify its present gardens. It is apleas^ 
ant spot to spend the night. I walked out by the 
stream in the evening, thinking of the wonderful 
events that had transpired at Dothan, and looking at 
the sweet stars so beautifully bright in the clear skies 
of the Holy Land. The croaking of frogs by the 
brook, the first I had heard, recalled familiar sounds 
of the spring-time and the streams in childhood days. 



XXVIII. 



|Iam of ^skmM—^xnl— Sfeanem— fte. 

Beautiful, clear, balmy and delicious was the Spring 
morning when we left our camping ground at Jenin. 
Our course was northerly, leaving at this point the 
mountains and passes of Manasseh, and the crystal 
brook, one of the sources of the Kishon, that had 
murmured by our tents through the night. We were 
now in the margin of the great plain of Esdraelon, so 
memorable as the ancient battle-field of nations. To 
the traveler who has wandered over the " hill coun- 
try" and " wilderness" of Jndea, the mountains of 
Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, including the hills 
of Samaria, the contrast presented by the aspect of 
Issachar and Zebulon, especially Tssachar, as seen in 
this broad, smooth and fertile plain, is as striking as it 
is pleasing. I was surprised at the perpetual hilliness 
and stoniness of southern and central Palestine, and 
delighted to find a region here in Galilee so entirely 
different. The form of this grand plain approaches a 
triangle, the eastern side running along on the margin 
of the Jordan valley, the northern by the mountains 
of Galilee to Carmel, and the southwestern by the 
northern base of the Samaritan hills. A line from 
these hills to those of Galilee on the north, which are 
the roots of Lebanon, passes through the central and 



PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 



361 



widest part of the plain, a distance of about eighteen 
miles ; and this is what is called in Scripture the Val- 
ley of Megiddo. Its only river is the Kishon, so fatal 
to the army of Sisera, flowing to the northwest and 
emptying into the Mediterranean near Mount Carinel, 
where there is an opening to the plain of Acre. From 
Esdraelon on the east, three valleys break down to the 
Jordan ; the first between the hills at Jenin and 
Mount Gilboa, the second bet ween Gil boa and Little 
Hermon, and the third between Little Hermon and 
Mount Tabor. The central one is properly the ancient 
valley of Jezreel — the richest and most celebrated — 
the scene of great events in Bible history. This in 
time gave its name to the whole plain ; Esdraelon be- 
ing only the Greek rendering of Jezreel. 

The appearance of this vast plain of Esdraelon as I 
beheld it and journeyed through it in the blooming 
springtime, was that of a beautiful prairie, not entirely 
level, but in portions undulating — an unbroken ex- 
panse of verdure. The rank grass and weeds, and 
the luxuriant cornfields, or young wheat, on the few 
spots cultivated, give ample evidence of the fer- 
tility of the soil. Still, as you scarcely see an inhab- 
ited village on its whole broad surface, so much of 
which is mere waste land, there is an aspect of desola- 
tion amidst living beauty. Lawless Bedawin, from 
beyond the Jordan, sweep over it <>n their fleet Ara- 
bian horses and escape with their plunder in defiance 
of an inefficient government. From earliest history, 
it has never been secure. The iron chariots of the 
old Canaanites rolled over it in triumph ; the Midian- 
ites, and the Amalekites, the Philistines, and the 



362 



MOUNT GILBOA. 



Syrians, in turn, devastated it with their hostile cara- 
vans and armies. In the division of the land this plain 
fell to Issachar, a tribe that found it difficult to main- 
tain their exposed possession, and so became some- 
"what assimilated, to their heathen neighbors and even 
their tributaries. Only once did they shake off the 
Canaanite yoke, when hard pressed by Sisera, " the 
princes of Issachar were with Deborah." " Issachar 
is a strong ass, crouching down between two burdens ; 
and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it 
was pleasant ; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and 
became a servant unto tribute." 

Wonderful events have transpired on this plain and 
the mountains that border it, and it is deeply interest- 
ing to look upon these ancient and Scripture-hallowed 
localities. On the left are visible the sites of Taanach 
and Megiddo — the scene of two great battles, one a 
grand victory for Israel in the complete rout of the 
hosts of Jabin and Sisera, the other a sad defeat, in 
which the good King Josiah was slain by the Egyptian 
archers of Pharaoh-Xecho. But a more prominent 
object is Mount Gilboa, on our right, associated with 
Saul, and Jonathan, and Gideon — with sad memories 
of death, and touching, tender lamentations over 
those slain upon their high places. Its naked ridge 
rises up a few hundred feet, and its summit is crown- 
ed with a village. Its jagged brow is bleak and bare, 
reminding us of the pathetic strain of David : " Y 
mountains of Gilboa, let there be no rains upon you 
neither, dew, nor field of offerings; for there the 
shield of the mighty was vilely cast away — the shield 
of Saul as though he had not been annointed with 



JEZREEL — NABOTH's VINEYARD. 



363 



oil." Our path is close by its western base, and leads 
us over into the valley of Jezreel. 

We soon reach and ascend a little round elevation 
in the midst of the valley. A cluster of wretched 
houses and an old tower crown the hill. Here, on this 
commanding and beautiful spot stood the ancient and 
splendid city of Jezreel. The country around is lux- 
uriantly rich — the velvet lawn of verdure stretching 
away to Carmel on the west and to the Jordan on the 
east ; to Little Hermon on the north, and to Gilboa 
on the southeast. So fine and central a situation 
might well be coveted by Ahab and his queen as the 
seat of their court. Round the village, called Zerin, 
are heaps of rubbish, a number of artificial caves or 
cisterns, used as store-houses for grain, and several 
sarcophagi of hewn stone, serving the purpose of wa- 
tering-troughs. "Yet this is royal Jezreel where Ahab 
built his palace, and the scene of some of the bloodiest 
tragedies on record. We look down the eastern slope 
of the hill and recall the sad story of Naboth and his 
vineyard which doubtless was there. The crafty and 
cruel Jezebel had procured his death ; and as Ahab 
went to take possession of the vineyard he was met by 
Elijah with words of terrible denunciation and doom. 
Up that valley from the Jordan we see how Jehu's 
troops might be observed advancing — his own furious 
driving being watched from the tower that stood per- 
haps where this old tower now stands. In that vine- 
yard he met the two sovereigns, and sent a deadly ar- 
row to the heart of Joram, while Ahaziah fled over the 
plain toward the " garden-house," or En-gannim, but 
was overtaken and wounded, and died at Megiddo. As 



364 



bethshean- -gideon's army. 



Jehu reached the open space by the gate, the dis- 
guised Jezebel was thrown from a window of her 
palace chamber and trampled under the hoofs of his 
horses. Around the dead queen the voracious dogs 
gathered and feasted, as to this day they prowl about 
these old mounds for whatever may be thrown out to 
them. The heads of the seventy sons of Ahab were 
brought here in baskets, and lay in " two heaps at the 
entering in of the gate until the morning." These 
events of Bible history are most strikingly ilustrated 
and confirmed by the natural features around us. 

Looking down the green valley at the east we see a 
rounded hill, the site of ancient Bethshean. It was 
one of the Canaanite strongholds. To its wall the dead 
bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened. They had 
been slain on the heights of Gilboa, just south of it, 
now in full view from Jezreel. Beyond Bethshean is 
the bed of the Jordan, and over that, loom up the 
dark mountains of Gilead and Bashan. 

At the northern base of Gilboa there is a large 
fountain — a noted spot in sacred history — the scene 
of one of the most memorable victories, and of one 
of the most memorable defeats, in the annals of Is- 
rael. At this fountain or the brook flowing from it, 
the three hundred men of Gibeon lapped, and here is 
where they conquered the Midianites and their allies, 
as they broke their pitchers, blew their trumpets, and 
shouted on the midnight air the wild war-cry, " The 
sword of the Lord and of Gideon !" Here, too, was 
fought the battle ii which Saul was overcome by the 
Philistines. 

Two or three miles to the northwest of Jezreel we 



BEDAWIN TENTS— SHTJNEM. 



365 



Bee a mound in the plain, the seat of a fortification in 
the times of the Crusades, and remarkable in recent 
times as the central point of the battle between the 
Turks and the French led by the brave Kleber under 
Napoleon, called the Battle of Mount Tabor, in which 
three thousand French soldiers "resisted successfully 
ten times their number, during the period of six hours 
in an open plain." 

We descend the hill on which Jezreel was situated, 
and pass in the valley an encampment of wild 
Bedawin — their tents " black as the tents of Kedar," 
and not differing materially from those of their ances- 
tors, the Midianites, in the days of Gideon, near three 
thousand years ago, when they filled this valley like 
grasshoppers in multitude. They came for the pur- 
pose of plunder, as do their descendants. Passing 
through rich cornfields and ascending the slope on the 
northern side of the valley at the southwestern base 
of Little Hermon, we come to the village of Sulem, 
suggesting the name Shunem, which was here. Rank 
and lofty hedges of prickly pear border like a wail 
this thrifty place. Here the Philistines encamped 
before the battle of Gilboa. But as the scene of the 
touching story of the Shunamite woman which I read 
here, this spot awakens a deep and lively interest. 
Here dwelt " that great woman," the hospitality of 
whose house the man of God shared. She with her 
husband built and furnished for Elisha a little cham- 
ber on the wall, where the wayfaring prophet found a 
cordial welcome and a home. Houses are still seen 
with such a chamber on a corner of the flat roof. Into 
one. of those fine cornfields on the plain south of the 



366 



THE SHUN A MITE WOMAN MOUNT TABOR. 



village went the dear child to his father among the 
reapers; and there under the hot sun in time of har- 
vest — just as would happen now unless particular care 
were taken to shield the head — he sank under a sun- 
stroke, and was carried home to his mother, and sat 
on her knees till noon, and then lie died. Poor 
woman ! She laid him on the prophet's hed, and has- 
tened to him at Carmel, at least twelve miles distant ; 
and I could see over the level plain the whole wa}>- 
that she traveled to the mountain. " Is it well with 
the child ?" That must have been a trying question, 
but her faith failed not. 

As we passed through the village I observed a 
woman by the wayside winnowing wheat, and she 
pleasantly gave me a handful of it — sol brought home 
some wheat wmich very likely grew on the identical 
field where the Shunamite's boy went out to the reap- 
ers. I wondered what interest the present mothers of 
Shunem take in this tender story, and whether, when 
any of their children die, they think of the prophet's 
chamber, and the sad mother's journey to Carmel, and 
long for some Elisha to come with power to revive 
their dear dead ones ! Whenever I made inquiry of 
the people living in Scripture localities, they seemed 
to have a knowledge of the events that had there 
transpired, but manifested very little interest in 
them. 

A little way beyond Shunem, passing around the 
western base of Little Hermon, we had our first view 
of Mount Tabor, five or six miles distant over the 
level plain, from which it rises in beautiful form and 
outline, a perfect gem of a mountain, exciting our ad- 



LITTLE HEKMON — 5TAIN. 



867 



miration and delight. It looks not much like any 
picture I ever saw of it. but rather like the segment 
of a great sphere, dotted with trees to its summit. It 
a charming grace of proportion and position that 
surpass our expectations. From the slope of Little 
Ilermon I enjoyed a "wide and enchanting prospect. 
As we journeyed towards Tabor, I noticed a little vil- 
lage about two miles to the right of us. Inquiring of 
Ibrahim what place it was, and learning that it wa3 
ZFain, I was unwilling to pass by, as we were doing, 
a place of such sacred and tender interest, without 
an actual visit. I mentioned this to one of our com- 
pany near me, and proposed to strike off for Xaiu. 
He seconded the proposal; and just then seeing a 
path leading in that direction, I shouted, Ho ! for 
Xain ! and galloped away; but no one followed. 
Perilous though it might be, I ventured on alone, and 
visited that memorable place — the same Nain where 
our blessed Saviour wrought one of His great and 
glorious miracles. Its houses are few and poor, but 
its situation nestled on the slope of Little Hermon, 
commands a wide view over the plain and the moun- 
tains of Galilee. Heaps of rubbish and old building- 
stones lie around the village. Caves and tombs in 
the hillside a little southeast of the town no doubt 
mark its ancient cemetery. To that spot, winding 
around the northern part of the city, the funeral pro- 
cession, with the dead young man on an open bier, 
was moving with a weeping train, when it was met by 
another large procession, coming down the slope from 
the northeast, with Jesus at its head ! Blessed and 
tender words were those to the sorrowing mother — 



368 



ENDOR — SATTL AND THE WITCH. 



" "Weep not." Never was another funeral procession 
thus stopped and dismissed! Sweet Nam! It was a 
precious privilege to visit it and look upon the exist- 
ing though silent witnesses of the glorious miracle. 
Seeing an old man and woman washing clothes at a 
fountain as I was leaving the village, I inquired for a 
nearer way to Jebel et-Tiir, or Mount Tabor. They 
kindly directed me to the right path, and I soon over- 
took the party. 

Endor, like ISTain, clings to one of the lower slopes 
of Little Hermon. We saw it on our right, a small 
village, and remarkable as the home of the witch 
whom Saul consulted the night before his death. lie 
looked from his camp at the base of Gilboa across 
the valley to the host of the Philistines at Shunem. 
" fie was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled." In 
his desperation he commits this last great error. The 
sun had gone down over Mount Oarmel, and in the 
darkness of the night the king, with his two attend- 
ants, steals across the valley of Jezreel, leaves the 
camp of the Philistines on his left, winds over Little 
Hermon just east of jNain, and descends the declivity 
to Endor. Perhaps in one of those wild cavern-like 
excavations, a suitable home for a witch, the interview 
transpired, with the astonishing appearance of Samuel, 
predicting the defeat of Israel and the death of Saul 
and his sons on the morrow. With a heavy heart the 
doomed king must have retraced his steps amid 
shadows prophetic of a gloomier night. 

Another hour over the rich, verdant plain brings us 
to the base of that beautiful and memorable moun- 
tain. Tabor, Our tents are pitched in the border of a 



DEBtJElEli— DEBORAH. 



little village called Deburieh, probably the site of 
Daberath mentioned in Joshua and elsewhere, but 
suggesting the name Deborah ; for here was the 
scene of her wonderful exploits. As she gave the 
signal on the summit of Tabor, Barak with the troops 
rushed down the slope, perhaps at this spot, and met 
the mighty foe out on that beautiful plain of Megiddo, 
where "the stars in their courses fought against 
Sisera," and where "the river Ivishon swept them 
away, that ancient river the river Kishon." 

" Here sleep the still rocks and the caverns which rang 
To the song which the beautiful prophetess sang, 
When the princes of Issachar stood by her side, 
And the shout of a host in its triumph replied.- 



XXIX. 



Around the mountains and plains, the hills and val- 
leys of Palestine, what sacred associations cluster! 
How lavored are the eyes that look upon those rocky 
slopes and summits, those green vales and wild glens, 
the crystal fountain, stream, or lake — the same as ot 
old — and how privileged the feet that tread where 
mighty warriors, royal monarchs, inspired prophets 
and apostles, and, above all, the world's Redeemer, 
left their foot-prints! So I felt as we began the 
ascent of Mount Tabor about three o'clock in the 
afternoon. Our path wound around the western base 
of the mountain where by a narrow vale it is sepa- 
rated from the hills about Nazareth. We passed 
over to the northern side in our gradual ascent, and 
found it considerably covered with moderate-sized 
trees, mostly oak, crowned with a fresh, green, luxu- 
riant foliage. We saw no other hill or mountain in 
Palestine adorned with such a forest. It was a pleas- 
ant and home-like sight. It required three-quarters 
of an hour to reach the summit — not quite two thous- 
and feet above the sea-level — and in some places the 
path was so steep and rocky that our horses found it 
difficult to pick their way along. On the summit is 
an oblong area or nearly level surface about half a 



SUMMIT OF TABOR — SEA OF GALILEE. 371 



mile in length east and west and a quarter of a mile 
in width, surrounded by masses of old masonry or 
wall-like structures built on ledges of the natural 
rock. The best preserved of these relics is a Sara- 
cenic arch called the " Tower of the Winds." Tan- 
gled thickets of thorn, dwarf oak, and rank thistles, half 
cover the ruins, rendering some places difficult of ex- 
ploration. Here and there are found deep cisterns or 
pits hewn m the rock. The center of the area is an 
open space of garden-like beauty — a grassy lawn 
beaming with gay and lovely flowers. Among the 
ruins near this there is a human habitation occupied 
by one or two monks or hermits. Priests of the 
Latin and Greek churches come here at certain festi- 
val seasons to perform mass or other services. 

But the eye is eager to be drinking in the glorious 
views which this mountain-top affords. It is a vernal 
afternoon, clear and still ; the sun is nearing the hori- 
zon over the hills of Nazareth, and the whole scene 
with its associations — the far-spread panorama of 
diversified objects of strange and sacred interest — 
seems to throw an extatic spell over the mind as 
I stand on that old gray-grown arch, the highest 
point, and look around in every direction with silent 
wonder and inexpressible delight. First of all, I am 
looking over the plain toward the northeast to a vast 
crater-like opening or basin, some fifteen miles dis- 
tant, where I know reposes the most memorable, 
sacred and lovely lake in the world. Yes, there it 
is — the Sea of Galilee ! — and I see it now, a glimpse 
of its clear waters at its northwestern shore, near the 
sites of Capernaum, Chorasin and Bethsaida. O 



BT2 TAfeOR — A MAGNIFICENT VIEW. 



blessed vision — rapturous moment ! The long-cher- 
ished desire is being fulfilled. I behold a portion of 
that sea to which I have so often gone in thought and 
imagination and lingered round its shores and glanced 
over its smooth or storm-tossed surface, as I have 
traced there the footsteps of Jesus, listened to His 
wondrous words and witnessed His stupendous mira- 
cles. 

" Blue sea of the Mils ! — in my spirit I hear 
Thy waters, Gennesaret, chime on my ear j 
Where the Lowly and Great with the people sat down, 
And thy spray on the dust of His sandals was thrown. 

" Beyond are Bethulia's mountains of green, 
And the desolate hills of the wild Gadarene ; 
And I pause on the goat-crags of Tabor to see 
The gleam of thy waters, dark Galilee !" 

The view on every hand is magnificent. The course 
of the Jordan for a long distance can be traced, and 
still further east a boundless perspective of hills and 
valleys stretches over ancient Gilead and Bashan. 
Directly south, reaching even to the hills of Samaria, 
lies the vast and beautiful plain of Esdraelon — the re- 
nowned valley of Megiddo — an unbroken expanse of 
verdure, a velvet lawn of loveliness, soft, tranquil, 
dream-like and unencumbered, yet in ages past the 
theater of great and thrilling events. Bordering it on 
the left is Little Hermon, with the small gray villages 
of Endor and Nain, and beyond it rises the summit 
of Gilboa on which the sunlight lingers with radiant 
glory in strange contrast with the gloomy day when 
the King of Israel perished there and Jonathan fell, 
slain in their " high places." Still further south are 



TABOK, CAEMEL AND HERMON. 



373 



seen the mountains of Ephraim along which and over 
the valleys the mind glances to Ebal and Gerizim, 
Bethel and Mizpeh, Zion and Olivet. Then the eye 
sweeps across the broad plain to " the excellency of 
Carmel" on the west, and follows its bold ridge north- 
ward till its farthest slope dips into the Mediterranean 
Sea which lies like a dark line in the purple horizon. 
Intervening are the hills of Galilee, enclosing the 
ever-memorable and charming village of Nazareth. 
Fields of blooming shrubbery and rich plains break 
off at the north from which rise the Horns of Hattin, 
a double-peaked elevation known as the Mount of 
Beatitudes. Still farther are the ranges of Lebanon, 
on one of whose nearest heights is Safed, " a city set 
upon a hill," and in the dim distance beyond rises the 
cone of Mount Hermon, snow-crowned and majestic, 
like a dome of glory. Thus " Tabor is among the 
mountains and Carmel by the sea ;" and one here sees 
how naturally the poet-king groups the glorious 
scenery of the Holy Land : "The north and the south, 
Thou hast created them ; Tabor and Hermon shall re- 
joice in Thy name." 

The name of this beautiful mountain, frequent in 
the Old Testament, is not once mentioned in the 
New. But our blessed Lord must have been familiar 
with it from childhood. Thousands of times His holy 
eye rested upon it, as it is but six miles east of Naza- 
reth, and in full view from the western bank of the 
Sea"of Galilee. Indeed, we have been accustomed to 
associate one of the most wonderful events in our 
Saviour's life with this mountain-top — His sublime, 
glorious, heavenly transfiguration. And surely no 

15 



B74 



SCENE OF THE TRANSFIGURATION. 



place could be more befitting; and notwithstanding 
the objections urged on account of the fortress on the 
summit, I thought, as I wandered around the brow of 
that summit, and saw how many retired and shady 
nooks were there — how many secluded spots of charm- 
ing loveliness admirably adapted to such a celestial 
scene — it surely might have transpired here. This 
may be " the high mountain apart," where Jesus led 
His three chosen apostles and was transfigured before 
them. Astonishing:, glorious sight ! the like of which 
earth had never seen before. Here, in that still night, 
under the sweet and solemn stars, as Jesus prayed 
with His beloved three, a marvelous change came 
over Him. His sad, sweet, holy human face bright- 
ened into the glory of the Godhead, out-shining the 
sun. At the same time His apparel, simple and 
travel- worn, changed to an unearthly whiteness and 
glowing splendor, excelling the robes of angels. And 
there were seen poised in the air about Him, in celes- 
tial raiment Moses and Elijah, and they talked of 
Calvary and the Cross and the dying Lamb of God. 
Enraptured and overpowered with the glorious majesty 
of the heavenly revelation, Peter says, hardly knowing 
what he uttered, " Lord, it is good for us to be here," 
and proposed to build tents for his transfigured 
Saviour and the celestial visitants. Then, to crown 
the dazzling glory of the scene, a beaming cloud as 
if descending from the throne of God overshadowed 
them, and a wondrous voice broke from it on the-still- 
ness of the night air — "This is my beloved Son, hear 
Him." The apostles sank overwhelmed to the earth, 
length a gracious hand touched them — they arose, 



ELIJAH, AND THE TRIAL OP BAAL. 



375 



looked up, and saw Jesus only. Whether this sub- 
lime event transpired here upon Tabor, or on one of 
those peaks toward Hermoa yonder, we shall not cer- 
tainly know in this world ; but the scene is a beauti- 
ful and blessed glimpse of Heaven and of our glorified 
Redeemer there ; and it is a precious privilege to 
have under one's eye the place where it did transpire, 
and perhaps to stand on the very spot that witnessed 
it all. 

Looking from the summit of Tabor over broad 
Esdraelon's plain — so long the Armageddon of old — 
now so green and beautiful, so flowery and fruitful, 1 
think of that strangely contrasting view of it, some 
twenty-eight hundred years ago, when the wicked 
Ahab had his palace and throne at Jezreel ; when 
Elijah prayed to G-od from yonder Carmel ; when the 
heavens became as brass, the early and latter rain 
were withheld for three and a half years, and this 
goodly plain was all a parched, bare and arid waste — 
a hot and gloomy desolation — and men and beasts 
wandered hither and thither for aught to allay their 
raging thirst and hunger. The prophet and king met 
on this plain. The trial of God and Baal was arran- 
ged. On that southeastern cliff of Carmel the test 
was made. Baal was discomfited by power and fire 
from heaven. His priests were slain by the Kishon 
yonder. Elijah prays again on that mountain slope. 
The little cloud gathers from the sea beyond, and the 
showers descend. The prophet runs before the chariot 
of the king to Jezreel ; and so closes one of the most 
wonderful days in history, filling the ages with its 



376 THE tfEW PROPHET — A FIHE MORNING. 



lessons, and inspiring even our prayers and encour- 
aging our trust in Israel's God. 

Along these battle-fields of Megiddo our blessed 
Lord came, the Prophet of a New Dispensation, the 
Herald of life and peace. Yonder He taught the 
multitudes, fed the famishing thousands, and stilled 
the stormy sea. There, at JSTain, He stanched the 
tears of sorrow and mourning, and raised the dead to 
life. Here He was gloriously transfigured ; and on 
that far-off hill He bowed in death on the cross, and 
from the mount over the vale He ascended to heaven. 
O, earth's battle-fields shall yet glow with the sweet 
and blessed victories of the Prince of salvation. 
Where strife and death and mourning have reigned, 
peace and life and love and songs of joy shall abound. 
Beautiful Tabor ! Gladly would I have lingered 
long amidst visions so attractive, so grand and sub- 
lime—amidst surrounding objects in themselves so 
sacred and enchanting, and suggestive of reflections 
that throng the mind and almost etherealize the 
soul. 

In good season the next morning we were leaving 
our camping-gronnd, and passing around the western 
and northern base of Mount Tabor, on our way to the 
Sea of Galilee. It is the last day of March, and never 
could a morning be more beautiful or charming. The 
sun shines in a cloudless sky, and drinks the pearly 
dew-drops from leaf and blossom. The birds are sing- 
ing in the trees. Tulips and other brilliant flowers 
are smiling upon us from the ground. The woody 
slope of Tabor, in its fresh full foliage, is grateful to 
the eye. And as we move on in the delightful valley, 



WILD SONS OF ISHMAEL. 



377 



the form of the hills and the small oak-trees and other 
shrubbery that cover them, so different from the gen- 
eral aspect of Palestine, jet so like certain landscapes 
at home, recalling the scenes of childhood, that for a 
moment I seemed to be in ISTew England on a June 
morning. But before emerging from these shady ra- 
vines to the plain beyond, we have evidence of our 
position among the wild sons of Ishmael. We observe 
the dark figures of these strolling Arabs — now a soli- 
tary Bedawj linking by the way, and then knots of 
three or four of them crossing our path — all having a 
fierce and savage look, and armed with guns, daggers 
and clubs — watching for the unprotected or unarmed 
traveler. Many a robbery and doubtless worse crime 
have been committed in this retired spot and amid 
these leafy and flowery beauties of nature. Our 
dragoman overheard a group of them conversing about 
us. " They are a large party," said one of them ; " we 
must let them pass undisturbed." I thought of the 
lines— 

" Where every prospect pleases, 
And only man is Tile." 

Alas, that this should be, so near the home of our 
Saviour at ISazareth and Capernaum, and the Mount 
of Beatitudes where He announced the Golden Rule^ 
In crossing the open plain, rich in cornfields, we 
passed a huge old stone khan, with loopholed towers 
at the corners, the only building we saw. A few na- 
tives are in the fields where once crowds followed in 
the steps of Jesus. Along this plain He must have 
passed when, rejected at Nazareth, he took up His 
abode at Capernaum. The Mount of Beatitudes is 



378 



ON THE BANK CF THE LAKE. 



near us on the left, and perhaps we are on the spot 
where the " disciples were an hungered, and began to 
pluck the ears of corn, and to eat." Two or three of 
us, anxious for an early sight of the Sea of Galilee, 
speed on in advance, and as we come to the edge of 
the high bank, the beautiful and glorious vision is be- 
fore us. With tearful gratitude we look down upon the 
sweet, tranquil and sacred lake, and then uncover our 
heads and shout in joyful exultation. The bank here 
is somewhat higher than I had supposed, otherwise 
everything looked much as my fancy had often painted 
it. The extent, the shape, the hills surrounding — now 
high and rocky and then depressed to little vales and 
plains— all things about the lovely sea had a familiar 
look, I had so studied its topography, and pictured it 
so often in my mind, and lingered with such intense 
interest about its hallowed shores. And now I am 
actually gazing upon it ! How near I seem to come 
to the days of Jesus and the wondrous scenes asso- 
ciated with His ministry here ! 

As we stand on the high and sloping bank about a 
third of the distance from the southern to the north- 
ern extremity of the lake, its surface lies about a 
thousand feet below us. Its length is perhaps thirteen 
miles, and its width about half that distance in its 
broadest and central part. The city of Tiberias is 
before us close to the water's edge. South of it there 
is a promontory that excludes a view of the south- 
western shore. Turning to the north the eye glances 
over another promontory behind which is the little 
rich plain of Gennesaret, and then follows the curve 
of the shore, bending away to the northeast, where 



THE VIEW ABOUND — THE DESCENT. 



379 



the bank is not very high, and where was the central 
field of our Lord's labors. At the farthest point of the 
Sea the Jordan flows in through a ravine. Tracing 
the eastern coast down, at first there is a very gradual 
slope to the water and a green, lawn-like spot, that 
you feel must be the place where Jesus fed the five 
thousand as they sat in companies on the grass. Far- 
ther down, the bank rises and becomes bolder and 
rocky, till you are sure you discover the " steep place " 
where the herd of swine ran violently down into the 
sea. You distinguish also in those rocky palisides, 
with the help of a glass, some excavations or tombs, 
where no doubt dwelt the wild Gadarene whom Jesus 
healed. Looking back of us we see the arched form 
of Tabor and the hills of Nazareth, and north of these 
the ridges of Lebanon and the city of Safed ; and away 
beyond the extremity of the lake in the dim distance 
is the snow-crowned brow of Hermon — a conspicuous 
and beautiful object — which, just as it now appears, 
must often have met the eyes of our blessed Lord. 
The hills of Gilead and Bashan lie in the eastern 
horizon, a portion of that long mountain wall that 
bounds the Jordan valley on the east. 

We descend the declivity part way and stop, as it 
is now midday, and spread our lunch under a large 
fig-tree. Here we seem to have reached another 
climate. The bracing atmosphere of the hills is ex- 
changed for the wilting heat of the valley under a 
smiting sun. The whole descent of the bank must be 
a mile and a half, though it appeared far less. We 
pass various trees, prominent among which is the trop- 
ical thorn, with a sprinkling of oleanders, and near 



380 



CITY OF TIBERIAS — HOT SPRINGS. 



Tiberias we find several specimens of the graceful 
palm. The city has a dilapidated and shrunk ap- 
pearance. Its walls are broken down here and there, 
having never been repaired since the great earth- 
quake in 1837. Its present inhabitants, about two 
thousand in number and half of them Jews, have a 
pale and sickly appearance. According to Josephus 
the city was founded by Herod, the murderer of John 
the Baptist, and named after the Roman Emperor 
Tiberius. It is but once mentioned in the ISTew Tes- 
tament. It became the capital of Galilee, and after 
the destruction of Jerusalem, was the chief residence 
and metropolis of the Jews in Palestine for a long 
time. Many a learned rabbi — among them the great 
Maimonides — was buried in the tombs in the hillside 
back of the city. As I was returning from the Hot 
Springs, which are about a mile south of Tiberias, I 
met a funeral procession. The corpse" was wrapped 
in cloths and borne on a rude bier and the wailing 
mourners followed. Those mineral springs, by the 
way, are remarkable. They are quite near the lake, 
and a little cluster of buildings covers them. The 
water issues almost boiling hot from the base of vol- 
canic hills. A large circular tank, capable of accom- 
madating several bathers at once, is frequently re- 
sorted to by those afflicted with rheumatism and sim- 
iliar complaints. It was the hottest bath I ever took. 
This is supposed to be the site of Hammath, a town 
of Naphtali, mentioned by Joshua. 



XXX. 



flam of §mmn\\—€^xnmm—Sm tf ialite. 

Oub tents were pitched just north of Tiberias, near the 
shore of the lake. After a little rest, several of us 
made a most deeply interesting excursion along the 
hallowed margin of this lovely sea, and almost to its 
northern extremity, amidst localities associated at 
every step with the ministries of our glorious Re- 
deemer. There is a good bridle-path near the water's 
edge ; for the banks, though high and mountainous 
with here and there depressions and grassy slopes 
amid the rocky cliffs, do not pitch abruptly into the 
lake, but leave a beach of more or less width all round 
it. This rendered it convenient for its ancient purpose 
of fisheries and for landing at any part of it. Smooth 
pebbles of different colors and sometimes shells line 
the shore. The water is exceedingly transparent, 
deep and sweet. We saw an abundance of fishes, 
some of large size, and a solitary fisherman, angling 
from a rock, reminding us of some of the scenes and 
miracles in our Saviour's history. 

Three or four miles brought us to a very interesting 
spot near the center of the western shore and widest 
part of the lake. It is also at the southern border of 
the rich and beautiful plain of Gennesareth, to form 
which, the high bank for a few miles gives way. Here 

15* 



382 



MAGDALA — LAND OF GENNESARET. 



we reach a little village containing about twenty 
houses and a ruined tower. It is Mejdel, or Magdala, 
the home of Mary Magdalene. It is now the only 
village on the plain once so thickly peopled. It clings 
to the bank that rises high above it, and thence looks 
out upon the lovely lake and over the blooming plain, 
while it touches the margins of both. A large thorn- 
tree stands near it, and a clear stream sweeps by it 
into the sea amidst a thicket of willows. It flows down 
from a deep ravine, looking up which we get a 
glimpse of the Mount of Beatitudes. Two other 
ravines open on the plain through its western barrier 
of green swelling hills slightly broken by rocky crests. 
This plain of Gennesareth is a sacred spot. At its 
northern margin Dr. Robinson locates Capernaum, 
the home of Jesus. But Dr. Thomson places it at 
Tell Hum, a little farther up the lake, where it proba- 
bly w T as. This plain is crescent-shaped, three or four 
miles in length, and about half as wide. We noted, in 
passing, its luxuriant richness, its fine fields of wheat, 
and barley, its rank grass, mustard, weeds, and this- 
tles. Josephus described it as an earthly paradise, 
where perpetual spring reigned, and the choicest 
fruits abounded. Its fertility .is still wonderful. Olean- 
ders and thorn-trees fringe the shore, and amid the 
thickets back of these, we observe here and there 
clusters of small palm. Quails, turtle-doves, and other 
birds of gay plumage and musical notes, are abun- 
dant. Fine streams come flowing through it into the 
sea. Along this shore our Saviour and His disciples 
were often found. Here He uttered parables. Here 
He wrought miracles. Here perhaps the sons of Zeb- 



CHINNERETH. 



383 



edee were found mending their nets where one of these 
clear brooks empties itself into the lake. Probably in 
the mouth of the stream lay the little ships on which 
Jesus addressed the crowds standing about Him on 
the land. How often He and His disciples came to 
this shore or departed from it, crossing the lake. jSTot 
far from here He walked upon the water, and they 
heard his voice, " It is I, be not afraid." O how 
much there is here to remind one of His presence and 
words ! Many of the things He alluded to in the par- 
ables are here still. The sower, the wayside, the thorns, 
the stony places, the tropical heac, the good ground 
are all here to repeat His solemn truths. The clear, 
beautiful lake exists as of old in its rugged frame of 
hills. Tempests sweep down upon it now through 
the ravines, and suddenly transform its tranquil sur- 
face into raging billows, as when He said, " Peace, be 
still." 

We find a few old ruins at the northern extremity 
of the plain. They may be the remains of ancient 
Chinnereth, frequently mentioned in the Old Testa- 
ment, as is the " sea of Chinnereth," from which the 
plain and sea of Gennesareth derived their name. 
The bank now becomes abrupt and rocky, and our 
path, bending somewhat eastward as it follows the 
line of the shore, passes over the edge of a cliff 
through which the road is cut in the rock. In fifteen 
or twenty minutes we come to a pebbly strand and a 
little bay, with an abundance of water flowing down 
from the hills. Aqueducts, pools and fountains are 
around us. And here is an old building that has been 
used for a mill. Here we obtain a complete view of 



384 



BETHSAIDA CAPERNAUM. 



the lake. The eye follows the line of the shore en- 
tirely around. Here we sit down in admiration of the 
beautiful view, and absorbed with the sacred and 
thrilling associations that throng upon the mind. Ta- 
biga is the modern name of this spot, and some regard 
it as the site of Eethsaida — " House of Fisheries" — the 
home of several of our Lord's disciples. But if there 
was a Bethsaida here, there was certainly another at 
the head of the Lake, just over the Jordan ; and it is 
not likely there would be two towrs of the same name 
bo near together. There are some passages of Scrip- 
ture, however, that indicate a Bethsaida of Galilee 
and another on the eastern side, near the place of 
feeding the five thousand. But instead of a necessity 
for two, as some have supposed, the existence of one, 
occupying both sides of the Jordan, meets all that the 
Gospel narratives demand. 

This spot — Tabiga — was perhaps a suburb of Caper- 
naum, the site of which is probably marked by a few 
old ruins, *-o be found a little further along the shore, 
and called Tell Hum. Dr. Thomson thinks this great 
fountain was the fountain of Capernaum. Here we 
were, as I believe, just in the border of one of the 
most interesting places on earth — the home of our 
blessed Saviour — and, as may well be supposed, I was 
exceedingly anxious to go on to Tell Hum. But some 
of our party, being very weary and much oppressed 
by the heat, would consent to go no further, and 
desired to return at once to our tents at Tiberias. In 
another hour we might have reached the head of the 
lake ; but it would hardly have been safe for one or 
two to venture without other protection ; so with great 



HOME OF JESUS. 



385 



reluctance I was obliged to stop at the border of Ca- 
pernaum. But it was interesting to come even to the 
suburbs of such a place — to touch as it were the hem 
of the robe that enclosed the earthly home of Jesus — ■ 
a home from which He often went out on His mission 
of love, mercy and salvation ; going over the region 
of Galilee, into its cities and villages, teaching and 
healing, and unfolding the kingdom of God ; extend- 
ing His journeys down to Judea and the Jordan val- 
ley, and once at least over to the sea-coast of Tyre and 
Sidon. How often He came back here, worn and 
weary, to rest. How often He walked along this shore, 
where He called His disciples to be " fishers of men," 
where so many of His gracious words were spoken, 
and where such mighty works were made manifest. 
Across this sea He often sailed, and every wave on its 
surface, and every pebble and rock by its shore, seems 
a precious memento of Him. And bow many of His 
marvelous works were wrought here at Capernaum, 
which was thus "exalted to heaven," but for the guilt 
of its amazing unbelief was "brought down to hell." 

This home of our Lord, at the Sea of Galilee, was 
fitly chosen for the great and blessed work of His 
ministry. He came to preach the Gospel to the poor, 
to call the heavy laden, and to seek and save the lost. 
And no spot furnished better facilities than the popu- 
lous cities and villages and thronged shores of this 
beautiful lake. Situated in the midst of the Jordan 
valley, on the great thoroughfare from Babylon and 
Damascus into Palestine, its waters were a central 
point of passing and gathering, by " the way of the 
sea," " beyond Jordan," of " Zebulon and Naphtali." 



386 



A CENTER OF POPULATION AND TRAFFIC. 



Depressed to such a depth — six hundred feet below 
the Mediterranean Sea — its shores have almost a trop- 
ical fertility, denied to the bordering uplands, and in- 
creased by the beautiful and abundant springs along 
the western coast. In this respect there is a marked 
contrast between the Sea of Galilee and that dismal 
lake into which the Jordan flows and is absorbed. If, 
as Mr. Stanley well observes, the southern lake i9 the 
Sea of Death, the northern is emphatically the Sea of 
Life — life in its waters and on its banks, and in the 
time of our Lord a center of population and traffic. 
The villages " sent forth their fishermen by hundreds 
over the lake ; and when we add the crowd of ship- 
builders, the many boats of traffic, pleasure and pas- 
sage, we see that the whole basin must have been a 
focus of life and energy, the surface of the lake con- 
stantly dotted with the white sails of vessels flying be- 
fore the mountain gusts, as the beach sparkled with 
the houses and palaces, the synagogues and the tem- 
ples of the Jewish or Roman inhabitants." It was no 
secluded spot that our Saviour sought for His home — 
no hermit-life that He lived. Nowhere except in Jeru- 
salem could He have found such a sphere for His 
labors. Readily from this center "His fame went 
throughout all Syria vast multitudes were attracted 
by his teaching and miracles, " from Galilee, and from 
Decapolis, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan," 
and " ran through the whole region round about,' 
bringing the diseased in beds, " where they heard He 
was ; and whithersoever He entered into villages, or 
cities, or country, they laid the sick in streets, and be- 
sought Him that they might touch if it were but the 



BACK TO THE TENTS. 



387 



border of His garment." Such, was the home of 
Christ with its surroundings, its scenes and "images 
which could occur nowhere else in Palestine but 
on this one spot, and which from that one spot have 
now passed, into the religious language of the civilized 
world." O what an undying interest clusters around 
the Sea of Galilee ! As we retraced our steps, I 
paused at Magclala for a refreshing bath in the clear 
waters of the lake. 

It was now Saturday evening. The last two Sundays 
we had been in Jerusalem, so intimately associated with 
our Lord's sufferings, death, and resurrection ; and it 
was peculiarly pleasant to think of passing the next 
here, by this beautiful lake, the scene of so much of 
our Saviour's life, teaching, and miracles. After the 
fatigue and heat of the day it was exceedingly grate- 
ful to sit down by our tents, or walk by the pebbly 
margin of the sea. The shadows of the high bank 
were thrown over us; the golden sunlight was fading 
from the eastern hills ; and trees and rocks along the 
shore were mirrored in the calm, crystal waters. The 
crescent moon was hid behind the w T estern bank, but 
might have been seen from its top, lingering over 
Mount Tabor. Soon the stars came out and flashed 
over the sea, the same as when the Hoi} 7 Redeemer 
wandered by this shore, or sailed over the surface ol 
the deep. It was by this lake that He said to the 
weary, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." 
In our tents we come to Him, commit ourselves to His 
loving protection, and sleep by the Sea of Galilee 
where He so often slept. 

The first sound in the morning was the loud roaring 



388 



SUNDAY AT THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



of the billows and breakers on the shore. A sudden 
change had come over the lake. So tranquil and 
serene at evening, now its whole surface was broken 
up into foam-crested waves. How vividly did this 
remind me of a thrilling scene in our Lord's experi- 
ence when, as He was passing over in a boat with his 
disciples, a sudden tempest came down upon the sea — 
the wind rushing through some of the ravines — and 
tossed it into boisterous billows, which He when 
awaked, calmed by the word of His power. 

A Sabbath by the Sea of Galilee ! What a blessed 
privilege! It was the first day of April, and the 
morning was bright and warm. After breakfast our 
party gathered for a religious service under the sha- 
dow of an old high wall, with the green grass and 
sweet flowers beneath our feet, and the open heavens 
above our heads. We thought of home, and of the 
sanctuaries where we were wont to worship. We 
thought also of the crowds that once gathered around 
the Great Teacher at the shore of this sea, and we 
could only echo His instructions. We sang that dear 
hymn commencing, " How sweetly flowed the gospej 
sound." Several passages from the New Testament 
were read, all relating to incidents in tl/e life of Jesus 
by or on this lake. After prayer, another hymn was 
sung, in which were the lines — 

" The voice that stilled the stormy waves 
On distant Galilee." 

Rev. Mr. Jenkins spoke from the words of Jesus, first 
uttered here in calling His disciples: "Follow me." 
Another minister alluded to the associations of the 



LAST VIEW OF THE LAKE. 



389 



place, pointing to the localities in view where this 
and that event in the life of our Saviour transpired, 
and where this parable was uttered and that miracle 
was wrought. So we could bring the scenes before 
us, and almost seem to be in the literal presence of 
Jesus. Appropriate remarks were also made by the 
three other ministers of our party, and we sang again — 

<c Jesus, I my cross have taken, 
All to leave and follow Thee." 

It was a most hallowed, precious season, and like those 
we enjoyed in Jerusalem and the Garden of Gethsem- 
ane, deeply impressive, spiritually profitable, and long 
to be remembered. For dinner we had broiled fish 
from the lake, reminding us of our Saviour's "show- 
ing Himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias," 
after His resurrection, when He called to them from 
the shore: "Children, have ye any meat?" And "as 
they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, 
and fish laid thereon, and bread." Then, after " they 
had dined," Jesus thrice put the question to Simon 
Peter, " Lovest thou me ?" In the cool of the evening 
we sat down in front of our tents and talked and san^ 
hymns till a late hour. 

The next morning, about seven o'clock, we left 
Tiberias for Nazareth. Up the long slope we filed 
away, and soon reached the top of the high western 
bank. Here we paused and turned about for a last 
look upon the Sea of Galilee, nearly all of which, with 
its shores, was visible. With my glass I surveyed 
each spot again with the deepest interest. Delightful 
view ! Farewell, lovely Lake of Gennesareth ! Thy 



390 



THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



picture, with its wonderful associations, remains in its 
perfection, and can never fade! ]STo, I can never for- 
get 

THE SEA OF GALILEE. 

Dear, beautiful sight ! Embosomed by bills, 

How calmly reposes the Lake ! 
I gaze, and my soul with rapture thrills, 
As the glorious scene my vision fills, 
And holiest memories wake. 
lovely Sea 
Of Galilee, 

How oft my Redeemer hath looked on thee ! 

All other lakes in all lands are denied 
The honors that thou dost know : 
Blossoms as radiant may fringe their side, 
Fountains as sparkling may swell their tide, 
But thou hast the Jordan's inflow ; 
More sacred yet, 
Gennesaret, 
The sandals of Christ thy waves have wet ! 

How oft I have come, in wondering thought, 

A pilgrim along thy shore, 
Beholding the crowds that Jesus taught, 
And the deeds His power and mercy wrought, 
As He walked thy margin o'er. 
hallowed Sea 
Of Galilee, 
The home of Messiah was once by thee ! 

And now, with thankfullest heart, I stand 

Where Jesus so often stood ; 
I see the same stream, and rock, and land ; 
The same sweet Tabor, and Hermon grand, 



THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



391 



And look on the same bright flood— 
Tiberian Sea, - 
So dear to me, 
Because my Saviour saw these and thee ! 

My feet have pressed the old paths He trod, 

And crossed o'er the same clear rills ; 
I have sat me down on the grassy sod, 
"Where rested the weary Son of God, 
Who bore our sorrows and ills. 
In thee I take, 
Gennesareth Lake, 
Unbounded delight for His dear sake ! 

Nazareth's valley and hills are fair, 

And lovely is Bethlehem ; 
Mount Olivet's scenes their glories share, 
In the Garden shade and Bethany there, 
With precious Jerusalem: 
But, dearest Sea 
Of Galilee, 

How the life of my Lord is linked with thee 

No crowds along thy thoroughfares pour ; 

Silence and ruin are here to-day ; 
"White sails on thy waves are seen no more; 
The cities that flourished upon thy shore 
Have passed in their guilt away : 
But thou art yet, 
Gennesaret, 
A picture unchanged in thy hill frame set ! 

And Christ is the same, though ascended on high, 

As when by this water He trod ; 
With the same tender heart, and pitying eye ; 



392 



THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



As mighty to save, as lovingly nigh— 
ever the same Lamb of God I 
Adieu, sweet Sea 
Of Galilee; 

Thy image remains, and thy Lord, with me 1 




CAPERNAUM AND SEA OF GALILEE. 



XXXI. 



From tlie Sea of Galilee our course is westward ovei 
a rich upland plain. Amidst luxuriant patches ot 
wheat, grass, weeds, and flowers, we soon come near 
the southern base of a hill that rises gradually from 
the plain and culminates in a crest of two summits, 
whence its modem name, the Horns of Hattin, is de 
rived ; Hattin being the name of a village at the foot 
of the hill. This is the traditional Mount of Beati 
tudes, the supposed place where our Saviour preacheu 
the Sermon on the Mount. It is well situated for such 
an occasion, and there are good reasons for believing 
that tradition in this instance is correct. As our Lon 
came here, " there followed him great multitudes o"* 
people from Galilee," the surrounding region ; " anc 
from Decapolis," the ten cities near the southern ex 
tremity of the lake ; " and from Jerusalem and Jndea,'' 
still further south ; " and from beyond Jordan," the 
country east of the river and lake. Here would be a 
natural center or converging of thoroughfares, along 
which to this point, the fame of Jesus would attract 
the thronging crowds. "And seeing the multitudes 
He went up into a mountain." Perhaps he ascended 
this southern slope upon which I look, and sat down 
by the level spot or hollow between the two peaks, 



396 



SEEMON ON THE MOUNT. 



which would be going literally " into a mountain," 
where the crowds might gather around and easily see 
and hear him. Such a Preacher, such an audience, 
such a Sermon ! — well might the sanctuary be no tem- 
ple made with hands; its floor the solid earth, its pul- 
pit a rock, its pillars those of nature, its window r s the 
snn-beams>its roof and dome the overarching heavens. 
On the east, down the vale, lay the clear waters ot 
Gennesaret; south and southwest were Little Her- 
mon and Tabor; west were the hills of Nazareth ; and 
north the lower ranges of Lebanon. How sublime the 
scene ! the Creator preaching in His own vast temple ! 

The Discourse itself furnishes evidences of its being 
spoken here. The " city set on an hill," may be Safed, 
in full view at the northwest on one of the highest 
mountains in Galilee. "The lilies of the field," com- 
mon in Palestine, are very abundant here. Elsewhere 
1 had noticed that they were always red, but here they 
were of various shades — red, pink, purple, and white — 
lovely objects to " consider." Here too are fields of 
" grass," which God clothes with verdure and various 
tints of beauty. " The fowls of the air " still fly past 
here from the little plain of Gennesareth near b} r , 
where are found an unusual number and variety of 
birds of musical notes and gay plumage. How vividly 
do these things remind us of the reality as well as the 
place of the original scene ! 

The bloody battle of Hattin was fought here, J uly 
5, 1187. It decided the fate of the Crusades. The 
Christians, with the king of Jerusalem at their head, 
were overpowered by the hordes of Moslems, under 
Saladin ; and " one more added to the long list of the 



BATTLE OF HATTIN — CAN A. 



397 



battles of the plain of Esdraelon — the last struggle of 
the Crusaders, in which all was staked in the presence 
of the holiest scenes of Christianity, and all miserably 
lost." 

We journey westward among the young wheat, 
which promises a fine harvest, and amid grassy up- 
lands which afford inviting pasture-grounds to the wan- 
dering Bedawin. Leaving the plain, we enter the 
outer circle of hills among which is nestled the charm- 
ing village of Nazareth, now distant about six miles. 
A half hour's further ride amidst rocks and tangled 
shrubbery, and we descend into a basin among the 
hills, where we find the little village of Cana, which 
tradition makes the scene of the marriage attended by 
the miracle of the water changed to wine. There is 
another village, which I saw a little north of Naza- 
reth, also called Cana, and which some regard as 
claiming the honor which the natives still say belongs 
to this Cana, where we have now arrived. It is a 
small village, and most of its houses have a neglected 
and half-ruined appearance. But the surrounding 
basin or vale is well filled with pomegranate, fig, and 
olive-trees — some of which are very old and venera- 
ble — a variety which gives picturesqneness if not 
beauty to the village. While passing through it, we 
were pointed to a rude, dilapidated building called a 
Greek church, occupying the site of the house where 
the marriage festival was held and the miracle wrought. 
As we were about leaving, a priest appeared with a 
bunch of keys to show us the interior, and a few re- 
mains of the identical water pots used at the wedding. 
But we did not think it worth while to dismount and 



398 



THE FOUNTAIN IN CANA. 



look at the relics. We passed on a few rods and came 
to a fine large fountain, making quite a stream as it 
flowed away. Around it were gathered a considera- 
ble group of women and girls, appearing gay and 
cheerful, some filling their jars, and others washing 
and beating out clothes with clubs. Little boys gath- 
ered about us, anxious to earn a few paras by holding 
our horses. It was now mid-day, and we stopped for 
lunch under a grove of pomegranates. Our leathern 
bottles were filled with fresh pure water from the 
fountain — the same fountain if this be the true Cana — 
from which the water-pots were filled by the order of 
our blessed Lord, when He was about to work the 
first of those stupendous miracles that illustrated His 
public ministry. His mother and His disciples were 
here to witness this work that " manifested forth His 
glorv," and confirmed their faith. There is no other 
supply of water near the village, and it was deeply 
interesting to see and drink of this fountain, so sacred 
in its associations. E"athanael, the guileless Israelite, 
belonged in Cana, and our Saviour was here when He 
healed the nobleman's son at the point of death in 
Capernaum. 

We resumed our journey before two o'clock, and 
leaving the vale of Cana, we ascended a rocky slope, 
and going over the other side, soon reached a little 
village situated on the border of a fertile valley. At 
some distance to the right is Sefurieh, a town promi- 
nently in view, whose old castle crowns a high emi- 
nence. Nazareth is not seen till we get close to its 
borders ; but we are now climbing the high hill that 
immediately shelters it on the north-east. We reach 



\ 



I 



"VALE OF NAZARETH. 



401 



its summit, and in descending its steep rocky slope, 
Nazareth opens upon us like a beautiful picture in its 
frame of hills. This moment and this vision are 
among those never to be forgotten. We have now 
seen all the Holy Places associated so intimately and 
wondrously with the birth, life, ministry, and death of 
our Divine Redeemer. Silently, joyously, and tear- 
fully we enter the sweet and blooming vale, and come 
to our tents, which are pitched near a beautiful crys- 
tal fountain in the margin of the town. We wandered 
over this small fertile valley, shut in by green hills of 
wavy outline, and abounding in flowery lawns, thrifty 
corn-fields, and little gardens hedged around by cactus, 
and shaded here and there by solitary or clustering 
trees of olive and fig. The chief part of the village 
clings to the south-western side of the valley, the hill 
rising to the north-west of it about five hundred feet. 
This is " the hill on which the city is built," as stated 
by Luke, to the " brow " of which the angry multitude 
led Jesus from the Synagogue, " that they might cast 
him dowm headlong." I noticed on the steep declivity 
above the village, precipitous ridges of rock, down 
which if one were cast, it would almost inevitably 
produce death. 

Nazareth has a population of nearly four thousand, 
most of whom are Greek and Latin Christians, the 
Franciscan Convent being the most conspicuous build- 
ing in the place. There is a small Maronite church, 
and also a mosque with a fine w T hite minaret. The 
town is one of the most thriving in all Galilee. The 
houses are of stone, and have a neat and substantial 
look. The roofs are flat as is usual. The narrow 

16 



402 



CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION. 



streets abound in filth, comprising dunghills, cesspools, 
and dead animals. The people generally have a good 
appearance. The men look nobler, the women are 
fairer, and all dress better than in any other place I 
remember to have seen in the land. 

We visited the Latin Convent and Church of the 
Annunciation. They consist of a square of heavy 
buildings encompassed by a high wall. Some old 
columns of red granite lie near the large gate, admit- 
ting us to an open court around which are school- 
rooms, a pharmacy, and other apartments. The church 
is ample, and adorned with various paintings and ta- 
pestries representing Scripture scenes. The chanting 
of the monks and the fine organ remind us of the 
churches in Italy. From the audience room we go 
down a stairway of fifteen steps to a grotto which is 
the sanctum of the place. Here are marble walls, col- 
umns, altars, pavements, beautiful silver lamps, and 
a fine modern painting of the Annunciation, the gift 
of some European monarch. The altar and the mar- 
ble slab beneath, with a cross in the center, are said 
to mark the spot where Mary stood when she heard 
the salutation of the angel Gabriel. Passing through 
another part of the grotto, left in its natural rocky 
state, we ascend a narrow staircase to a rude cave 
called "Mary's kitchen," where we are shown among 
other details the chimney and fire-place. We are 
next conducted across the village to the work-house 
of Joseph. The interior of the modern building, con- 
secrated as a chapel, is said to contain a fragment of 
an old wall that belonged to the original work-shop. 
An indifferent painting of Joseph at work, assisted 



FOUNTAIN OF THE VIEGIN — GIRLS. 403 



by the youthful Jesus, hangs over the altar. It was 
presented by a noble lady of Florence, and bears her 
name and coat of arms. We are then directed to ano- 
ther part of the town, and sho wn the Chapel of the 
Mensa Christi, or Table of Christ. It is a small 
vaulted chamber, and contains a stone slab from which, 
according to tradition, our Lord and His disciples 
often ate. 

After visiting the Rev. Mr. Lundy, of Philadelphia, 
and his party, encamped in a grove at the south part 
of the town, and who were traveling under the direc- 
tion of the Egyptian dragoman Achmet, who took us 
up the Nile, we returned to the " Fountain of the Vir- 
gin," near our tents. Here a lively scene is presented. 
A large number of small and full-grown girls are 
gathered around this crystal spring, while some are 
continually coming with their empty pitchers and jars, 
and others are going away with theirs filled. They 
all seem to be in a pleasant, happy mood ; for their 
merry laugh rings out on the air. Some of them are 
quite beautiful. There can scarcely be a doubt that 
to this very fountain the "Virgin Mary was accustomed 
to come and fill her pitcher, after the manner of her 
country-women, and as these Nazareth girls do now ; 
and she might have given of the water she had drawn 
to the passing stranger, as they do to us. To this 
fountain too the youthful Jesus must often have come 
to drink, as others come to-day. It must be the same 
spring from which Nazareth was then supplied, for 
there is no other in the place. One of the earliest 
local traditions makes this fountain the scene of the 



404 



EVENING IK NAZARETH. 



angelic salutation to Mary, as she had come hither to 
draw water. 

The sun was already behind the high hill guarding 
Nazareth on the west, when we gathered around the 
dinner-table in front of our tents. At length the vale 
was filled with the evening shadows, and the stars 
looked down upon us lovingly. The heavenly orbs, 
always interesting, suggestive and glorious, one sur- 
veys in a foreign land with emotions he can never 
feel at home. They powerfully remind him of home — 
of those whose eyes may now see them, of friends who 
once looked upon them, but have passed beyond them. 
When in places of historic and sacred memories, the 
stars bring the distant near ; for you are looking upon 
the same serene and sublime heavens — the same con- 
stellations — the same bright gems — that those re- 
nowned and glorious men looked upon from the same 
locality ; and the vision is the same now that it was 
then. You seem to be near to those heretofore so far 
separated in distance and time. I look from the tent- 
door at Nazareth around upon these encircling hills, 
and up from their shadowy outlines, to the beautiful 
skies, and I know that from this spot at the same hour 
of evening our blessed Saviour looked, how often ! 
upon these clustering summits, remaining as of old, 
and up to these bending heavens, bright in their un- 
changed diadem of glory. What were His emotions 
when He surveyed these scenes ? O thou Almighty 
Creator of all, and Saviour of men ! here thou wast a 
child in one of these homes; here, in this small un- 
nonored and almost unknown village, thou didst pass 
many years in a humble position — in a lowly mechan- 



FINE VIEW JEOM THE HILL 



405 



ical pursuit, involving toil and weariness — that thou 
mightest experience all human hardships and sor- 
rows, and that we might share in the fullness of thy 
human and divine sympathy! A wonderful Being is 
Jesus of Nazareth ! 

After a day of unusual weariness and a night of 
sweetest, profoundest repose, where the weary Jesus 
had so often slept, early the next morning I ascended 
to the top of the hill west of the town, and near the 
tomb or white-domed wely of Ismail, enjoyed the 
wide, commanding, and glorious view, one of the best 
in the Holy Land, even surpassing that magnificent 
one from the summit of Tabor. Looking to the east, 
the rounded height of Tabor is seen, only six miles 
distant. Be} T ond it to the left is the deep basin of the 
Sea of Galilee, less than twenty miles away, but the 
sea itself is not visible. To the right of Tabor is Jebel 
ed-Duhy, or Little Hermon, with Endor and Nain dot- 
ting its slopes ; and beyond them Mount Gilboa, with 
the site of ancient Jezreel like a speck at its base ; 
while the broad green Plain of Esdraelon lies spread 
out in its beauty on the south, and comes to the very 
hills that encircle Nazareth. In the west, the eye 
rests upon Carmel, with its long, dark ridge, and on 
the white strand of the Mediterranean Sea beyond the 
plain of 'Akka, or Acre, and the town of Haifa at the 
best harbor on the coast. To the north are the villages 
of Sefurieh, and the Cana I did not visit, and beyond 
are the Lebanon mountains, including the glorious, 
snow-crowned brow of Hermon. Grand and beautiful 
vision ! how rich in wonderful events are the locali- 
ties in view ! The encircling and adjacent hills have 



406 



FOOT-PRINTS OF JESUS. 



an unusual picturesqueness and charm, in striking 
contrast with other hill scenery in Palestine. Except 
a few rocky summits around Nazareth, the hills are 
covered with a light growth of wood, and descend in 
graceful slopes to broad winding valleys of richest 
green. The entire landscape, in its agreeable variety, 
beautiful luxuriance, and soft coloring, seems almost 
Italian. The blessings promised to the three tribes of 
Zebulon, Asher and Xaphtali, are inscribed here in 
the features of nature. Zebulon, nestling among these 
hills, " rejoices in his going out" to the rich plain, 
and from his abundant flocks in these pastures reach- 
ing to the lake, "offers the sacrifices of riffhteous- 
ness;" Asher, to the northwest, among the fine groves 
of olives, " clips his foot in oil and J^aphtali, to the 
northeast, amidst the beautiful scenery and fertile soil 
above the Sea of Galilee, "is satisfied with favor, and 
full with the blessing of the Lord." 

Such are the splendid views from this hill top above 
Nazareth. How often must Jesus have climbed this 
same hill, stood on this same spot, and looked abroad 
over these same prospects of mountain, valley, and 
plain. From the hot vale below, lie would come up 
here and behold the distant sea, and be refreshed 
by its cool breeze. Most of His earthly life was spent 
here "in the city where He had been brought up." 
How interesting to know more of that life, of which 
there is no record ! Often must He have gone to that 
fountain with His mother — sat with His parents on 
the house-top at evening — traveled those streets over 
and over, going to His toil— and wandered along 
these rocky heights in meditation upon His wonderful 



I 



SEFURIEH — MOUNT CAEMEL. 



409 



micsion in our world ! Every spot here is hallowed 
by the foot-prints of the blessed JSTazarene. 

There had been a slight rain in the night; and now, 
after a succession of bright and lovely spring days, the 
morning sky was overcast, and the faint roll of distant 
thunder indicated the approach of showers. About 
seven o'clock we left our camping-ground, and began 
to wind our way up the hills that enclose Nazareth on 
the north. But I am looking back upon this lovely 
vale and picturesque village, and pause on the sum- 
mit to take a last view of this fascinating spot so 
full of Divine images. Passing over the hill, the 
early home of Jesus faded from sight. Our general 
course is northwest among the hills of Galilee. In an 
hour we reach Sefurieh, the Dio-cresarea of the Ro~ 
mans, and the ancient Sephoris. Old columns, hewn 
stones, and other sculptured fragments lie scattered 
about or built into modern walls. The ruins of a 
Gothic church remain, according to tradition, on the 
site of the house occupied by Joachim and Anna, the 
parents of the Virgin Mary. But the most interesting 
relic is the immense old square tower crowning the 
hill. It is built of great beveled stones, indicating a 
Jewish origin and high antiquity. 

We passed through an oak-glade into a country 
growing rich and fertile as we descended to the plain 
of Acre. Amidst hills and valleys, and groves of olive, 
lemon, apricot, and pomegranate, we made our way, 
with nothing of special or sacred interest immediately 
about us. Mount Carmel, crowned with a conspicu- 
ous monastery, was only a short distance from us. 
Indeed, we expected to ascend the mountain, but the 



410 



THUNDER-STORM — PLAIN OF ACRE. 



owners of our horses refused to let them go np. Be- 
fore noon it began to rain, and for two or three hours 
the clouds emptied their treasures upon us. Light- 
nings flashed down the dark canopy, and thunders 
rolled their heavy chariot wheels along the cloudy 
pavements of heaven. As they seemed to sweep over 
the long, bold ridge of Carmel and plunge down into 
the sea, their reverberations were solemnly grand. As 
a shower passed over us, I never was so consciously 
near a flash or bolt. Some of those sublime descrip- 
tions in the Psalms and elsewhere of storms, of light- 
nings and thunders, had their reality along these 
mountains and shores. 

We pitched our tents by a clear, running brook on 
the plain of Acre, and on the borders of ancient Phoe- 
nicia. The Mediterranean Sea was before us, and the 
white buildings of Haifa and Acre were conspicuous. 
This semicircular plain, about eight miles in diameter, 
is one of the richest in Palestine, abounding in luxu- 
riant crops and rank weeds, and in historical associa- 
tions of great interest, 



XXX1T. 



Hfexemcia — €m\ jptf %* anfo Site. 

We left our camping-ground between six and seven 
the next morning, April fourth. We soon came into 
full view of the town and fortress of St. Jean d'Acre, 
resting on our left at the edge of the sea, with the 
bold promontory of Mount Carmel at the south. Acre 
has had a long, strange and chequered history. It is 
mentioned but once in the Old Testament, where it is 
said in the book of Judges that Asher, the tribe to 
whom this part of the country was given, " did not 
drive out the inhabitants of Accho." It was a strong- 
hold of the Phoenicians who nourished here from time 
immemorial. It fell into the hands of the first Ptol- 
emy of Egypt, who changed its name to Ptolemais. 
P>y this name it is spoken of in the account, in the 
Acts of the Apostles, -of Paul's journey to Jerusalem; 
" Aud when we had finished our course from Tyre, we 
came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and 
abode with them one day." In the time of the Cru- 
sades, and of Napoleon I., it was an important mili- 
tary point, and the scene of terrible and bloody con- 
flicts. 

Continuing our course across the fertile plain, luxu- 
riant with confields and wild vegetation, we soon 
reach the shore of the Mediterranean. Our path lav 

16* * ' 



412 



ACHZEB MISEEPHOTH-MAIM. 



along the sandy beach for a little time, when the plain 
terminates on the north in the Lebanon mountains 
which come down boldly to the sea. We are now on 
the " coast of Tyre and Sidon." Here onr blessed 
Lord once came, and perhaps onr route is nearly the 
same as His. He looked upon this sea and these 
mountains, crossed this rich plain, and ascended that 
long flight of stone steps now before us. Here Pales- 
tine blends with Phoenicia or Syria. The little ham- 
let of Es-Zib, which we pass, is no donbt the repre- 
sentative of Achzib, mentioned in the book of Joshua. 
The olive groves at the base of the mountains remind 
us of the promise to Asher : " Let him dip his foot in 
oil." Eight before us is a high, bold, rocky promon- 
tory, breaking down abruptly into the sea. We climb 
it by a long zig-zag path cut in the rocks like a stair- 
case. The name of this height with the fountains at 
its base, is Has el-Musheirifeh, and it is probably the 
ancient Misrephoth-maim, to which Joshua drove a 
part of Jabin's host from the battle at the waters of 
Merom. The view from the summit is extensive — 
Carmel and the plain of Acre being behind us, the 
wide and restless sea on our left, the Lebanon moun- 
tains on our right, and a long strip of the old Phoeni- 
cian sea-coast before us. Over this pass our course 
was often on the verge of a fearful precipice, down 
the perpendicular side of which we could look hun- 
dreds of feet to the foaming breakers. 

Descending to the narrow plain, we pass a Roman 
bridge, and observe the little village of Nakurah on 
our right. On the same side, at the end of anothei 
hour, we find a nameless spot marked by an old build- 



Alexander's tent — ladder of tyre. 



413 



ing and stone foundations, with many Ionic columns 
scattered here and there. But a little further along 
on the left is a much larger mass of ruins, called 
Iskanderieh, the ancient Alexandroschene. Huge old 
walls near the edge of the sea seem like the remains 
of a fortification. A copious fountain flows amid the 
ruins, suggesting a suitable place for our noon-day 
lunch. This spot is named " Alexander's Tent," prob- 
ably from some tradition that here the great warrior 
once encamped. Stretching out to the north there is 
a fine beach of pebbles, of various sizes and colors, 
intermingled with specimens of shell and sponge. 

We soon reach a lofty cape, called Promdntorium 
Album, from its white or chalky appearance, and 
more generally known as the " Ladder of Tyre," or 
Scala Tyriorum. We pass over it by a winding path 
cut in the rocks. This stone stairway, a mile in 
length, is sometimes on the very edge of the cliff, 
overhanging the sea, which roars and foams two hun- 
dred feet below. Some say Alexander made this path 
for the passage of horses and camels. 

Our course is along the shore of the far-soundino- 
sea, whose foam-crested surfs come rolling in grandly 
at our feet. We look on these waves, these mountain- 
sides, this narrow plain, and think of the riches and 
splendors of that ancient period when Tyre was in her 
glory. A mighty power were those old Phoenicians 
who had their home here. What teeming popula- 
tions moved over this fertile soil ! "What magnificent 
cities, with their gorgeous temples and palaces, glit- 
tered along this coast ! What a multitude of sails en- 
livened this sea! What rows of graceful palms 



414 



RAS EL- ? A1N AQUEDUCTS. 



shaded the paths, and what beautiful gardens and lux- 
uriant fruits adorned the slopes ! Against all this dis- 
play of wealth and splendor the sacred prophets de- 
nounced the judgments of God, because of the idola- 
try and wickedness of the people ; and to this day the 
evidences of the wonderful fulfillment of those predic- 
tions are most marked and convincing. " A mournful 
and solitary silence now prevails along the shore 
which once resounded with the world's debate." 

Now along the pebbly or rocky beach, and then 
over the fragments of an old paved Koman road, 
observing perhaps a ruined tower or fallen columns, 
we arrived about the middle of the afternoon at Tuts 
el-'Ain, the "Fountain Head," a group of old and 
remarkable fountains and reservoirs. The masonry 
enclosing these reservoirs is very massive. The lar- 
gest, octagonal in form, is sixty-six feet in diameter 
and twenty-five feet high, with a slope so gradual 
that I could ride to the top. The stream from this 
fountain still carries a mill, and the remains of aque- 
ducts show that it was carried to other mills. Run- 
ning northward into a field for two miles is a Roman 
aqueduct supported on arches. It is said that the 
water supplying these fountains is brought by an 
under ground canal from a distance ; and there is an 
old tradition that these massive reservoirs were built 
by Solomon, and answer to the passage in Canticles: 
"A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and 
streams of Lebanon." They are certainly very an- 
cient, and probably supplied the city of Tyre with 
water, conveyed by aqueducts nearly three miles. 
Near by I observed a modern silk establishment 



TYKE — ITS PRESENT ASPECT. 



415 



which appeared well, back of a thrifty grove of mul- 
berry-trees. 

In less than an hour from the fountains, we reached 
our tents pitched near the solitary gate of Tyre — 
Tyre, so often mentioned in the Bible, so ancient and 
splendid, but now a desolation. In coming to it we 
pased over a sandy isthmus — the remains of Alexan- 
der's causeway — making a peninsula of what was for- 
merly an island. The city is spoken of as being " in 
the midst of the sea." The low rocky island on which 
it stood is less than a mile in diameter, and was about a 
half a mile from the main-land. The isthmus has been 
widened by accumulations of sand, washing up on the 
north or harbor side in a fine beach. Here, near an 
old wreck, we found an excellent bathing place. The 
present town contains about three thousand inhabit- 
ants, a part of them nominally Christians. As we 
wandered through the place we found most of the 
houses wretchedly poor, and the streets narrow, 
crooked, and filthy. The general aspect of desolation 
is partially relieved by a few green trees, mostly palm 
and pride of India, interspersed among the dwellings 
and gardens. A few rickety fishing-boats in the har- 
bor, with a small export of cotton, tobacco and mill- 
stones, are the sole representatives of the once impe- 
rial commerce of Tyre. The old wall is broken clown 
or has breaches here and there, and the whole appear- 
ance of the place constantly reminds one of the proph- 
ecies uttered and fulfilled against this city: "And 
they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make prey 
of thy merchandize ; and they shall break down thy 
walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses." "They shall 



416 



RUINS OF TYRE PAUL'S VISIT. 



lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, 
like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?" It is 
scarcely possible to describe the immense amount and 
confused mass of ruins lying in and around this an- 
cient city. There are "heaps upon heaps" of them, 
accumulating and mingling in the repeated deso- 
lations to which it has been subjected. Every wave 
breaks over them, for they lie thick in the water as 
upon the land. Within the town there are some 
splendid relics, including three beautiful columns of 
red granite, of an ancient church, in which reposes 
the dust of Origen and of the Emperor Frederic Bar- 
barossa. As I was coming out of the town I noticed 
some fisherman's nets stretched on the old walls, and 
was reminded of the striking fulfilment of the proph- 
ecy : " I will make thee like the top of a rock : thou 
si) alt be a place to spread nets upon." Such is Tyre, 
the " daughter of Sidon," but outgrowing her mother ; 
"a strong city," in the time of Joshua, and then mis- 
tress of the seas and parent of colonies in Europe and 
Africa. Her varied fortunes in successive ages and 
under different dominations, would make a long chap- 
ter. The prophet Ezekiel gives a most vivid and 
poetical description of her grandeur and power, her 
luxury and pride, and with equal vividness predicts 
her fall and desolation. The massive Tomb of Hiram, 
king of Tyre, is on a hillside a few miles east of the 
city. 

One of Paul's voyages, as he sailed by the island 
of .Rhodes and Cyprus, brought him to a landing at 
Tyre, where the ship was to unlade her burden. 
Here he found congenial disciples of Christ, with 



RIVER LEONTES — CURIOUS STORY. 



417 



whom lie spent seven days of precious interest, fellow- 
ship, prayer and labor. When he and his associates 
departed, the loving brethren of Tyre accompanied 
them out of the city, so interested that they took their 
wives and children along to a place on that sandy 
beach, and there before parting they kneeled clown on 
the shore and prayed. What a beautiful scene ! How 
sweetly it speaks of Christian fellowship, friendship 
and love! How strangely in contrast with many 
other scenes that have transpired at this ancient 
city! 

The next day we journeyed to Sidon, along the 
narrow plain, under the shadow of the Lebanon 
mountains and greeted by the ceaseless music of sea- 
billows breaking at our feet. These remain as of old, 
while the successive splendors and dominations of 
Phoenicians, Greeks, Eomans and Crusaders, have 
passed away, leaving their intermingled ruins behind, 
over which the wretched Moslem rules, the very im- 
personation of decay. Among the streams we pass, 
the Leontes is the most considerable. Larger than 
any river we have seen in the land, except the Jor- 
dan, it rises near Baalbek, and flows down through 
the mountains in many a wild gorge and picturesque 
glen, and takes the name of Litany before it enters 
the sea. A few miles further on, a group of upright 
stones, called a sort of Syrian Stonehenge, attracts 
attention. A curious story is associated with it. A 
little hamlet is near hy containing a white-domed 
wely in honor of some great prophet in the olden 
past. The prophet was once mocked by a number 
of men passing by, and as he cursed them in revenge. 



418 



ROMAN RELICS — SAREPTA. 



they were at once changed into stones where they still 
stand. The soil of the plain is dark and rich, but it is 
nearly deserted ; the inhabitants finding it safer to 
live in their villages nestled on the mountain-sides 
which they terrace and cultivate. Old ruins, indi- 
cating the sites of former cities, lie along our path, 
in which are fragments of tessellated pavements, and 
huge columnar mile-stones, bearing various inscrip- 
tions, including the name of the Roman Emperor Sep- 
timius Severus. The neighboring cliffs are niched 
with numerous tombs. We crossed many little streams 
watering the plain from the hills, and observed grace- 
ful gazelles skipping away from their margins. These 
beautiful and sprightly little animals are seen in dif- 
ferent parts of the Holy Land, and are several times 
alluded to in the Bible under the names of harts, 
hinds, and roes. 

At length we come to a memorable and very inte- 
resting spot. It is the ancient Sarepta, forever identi- 
fied with the poor widow and the miracles of Elijah, 
and it was probably the point to which our Divine 
Lord came when he visited the coast of Tyre and 
Sidon, and wrought a gracious miracle in answer to 
the pleadings and faith of the Syro-Phoenician woman. 
Thus in the Old and New Testaments Sarepta is hon- 
ored and embalmed. As the prophet came hither 
from the brook Cherith in time of famine, he met the 
widow out gathering sticks to cook her last meal. I 
have often seen the poor women of Palestine collect- 
ing fuel on the hills and bearing home the bundles of 
sticks on their heads. The ancient town probably 
stood near the shore, where now there is nothing but 



THE POOR WIDOW FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS. 419 



scattered ruins, a wely, and an old khan. A half a 
mile distant, high up on a hill, is the large village of 
Sarafend, the modern representative of Sarepta. But 
here, where we are now passing, lived the widow 
whose story has become immortal. Her unfailing 
barrel of meal and cruse of oil teach lessons of confi- 
dence and trust in God. Her dead son was restored 
to life as a reward of her benevolence and faith, as she 
sustained the weary prophet, the type of the forerunner 
of Christ who, nearly a thousand years afterwards, in 
His many journeyings came once to this coast, and 
probably at this spot healed the daughter of the Ca- 
naanite woman, an imperishable record of simple and 
mighty faith and divine relief, that has inspired hope 
and joy in many a burdened heart. Adieu, Sarepta ! 
Thou hast taught sweet lessons while I have lingered 
a little on thy ancient site, at the noontide of a lovely 
spring day. I shall remember thee forever. Let me 
pick a few leaves from this fine fig-tree to bear away 
as memorials of thee. 

In leaving Sarepta we pass beyond where the sacred 
feet of our blessed Saviour pressed the soil of this 
Holy Land, and beyond the objects that lay beneath 
His holy human eye. Every day since that in which 
we entered Palestine, we have been treading in the 
footsteps of Jesus, and wandering amidst scenes, over 
hills, through valleys, and across streams, that were 
familiar to Him. And around many of those places 
what sacred, precious, and tender memories cling! 
How eloquently they repeat the wonderful incidents 
in the life of Jesus ! How thrillingly they remind us 
of His gracious words and glorious works, His prayers, 



420 



APPROACH TO SIDON. 



sufferings and tears ! Every stone has a voice — every 
rustling leaf speaks of Jesus — every fountain murmurs 
Hi* name — every flower reflects His love — every hill 
seems another Calvary and Olivet. O, there is some- 
thing inexpressible in the associations of these Holy 
Places — to read the life of the Di vine Redeemer in the 
very localities where the astonishing events transpired, 
and to see before you the existing and unmistakable 
evidences of their truth ! Here are the mute but con- 
vincing witnesses of the Sacred JHistory, and the Gos- 
pel comes home to the heart with a double power as 
the testimony of sight is added to your faith. 

Beyond a desolate waste just north of Sarepta, we 
enter a shady grove and sit down to our noon repast 
near a sparkling fountain. Magnificent Lebanon rises 
above us, and the rolling sea-surf breaks at our feet. 
On a little promontory in the distance before us we 
distinctly see the city of Sidon, encircled by luxuriant 
gardens and blooming orchards. On that spot stood 
the " great Zidon " of which Joshua speaks, one of the 
very oldest cities of the world. To look upon such a 
place continuously inhabited through such a long suc- 
cession of generations — through nearly all the ages of 
the world's history — what a train of thoughts are 
awakened ! How the gates of history open, and you 
look back upon the wondrous scenes that throng the 
far and mighty field of vision ! 

In three hours more, crossing the " Flowery Stream" 
and the dry beds of one or two wintery torrents, whose 
banks are brilliant with gay and beautiful oleanders, 
we come to Sidon. As we enter its borders the air is 
laden with perfumes, and especially with odors from 



FRUIT GARDENS — A CHRISTIAN FAMILY. 421 



the numerous orange-groves, where the golden fruit 
looks so charming. The Sidon oranges are renowned 
for their excellence. In these adjacent orchards, 
stretching away to the roots of the mountains and 
abundantly watered by their streams, there is a luxu- 
riant profusion of fruits and flowers. Nearly all vari- 
eties in the land are here — oranges, lemons, citrons, 
pears, pomegranates, figs, grapes, olives, dates, apples, 
bananas, almonds, peaches, apricots, plums, and other 
varieties — making a splendid forest of* gardens. 

We enter and pass through the town. Its popula- 
tion, embracing Moslems, Greeks, and Jews, is up- 
wards of five thousand. The streets are narrow and 
dirty, as is usual in the East. Some of the dwellings 
are quite spacious and comparatively elegant, espe- 
cially those on the eastern wall. There is a sort of 
citadel on the south and an old. castle on the north, 
the latter connected with the city by a bridge with 
stone arches. Our tents are pitched just north of the 
town on the sandy beach. Presently a Christian fam- 
ily of native Syrians, connected with the American 
mission here, come 'from their house near by to wel- 
come us. Father, mother, and three or four grown 
up daughters, an interesting group, in complexion, 
manners and dress more like" Europeans than Orien- 
tals, and some of them able to speak a little English ; 
we were very happy to see them, and to converse of 
precious interests and hopes that make all believing 
hearts one in sympathy and joy throughout the 
world. 

Phoenicia is the oldest of civilized nations, and Sidon 
is "the mother of all the Phoenicians." It is supposed 



422 



SIDON TO BEIRUT. 



to have been founded by Sidon, a son of Canaan, and 
great-grandson of Noah. It is mentioned in the tenth 
chapter of Genesis, in connexion with Sodom and Go- 
morrah. Joshua speaks of it as a great city. Homer 
sang of its arts and arms. Its history is like that of 
many others, a story of prosperity, grandeur, and de- 
cline. Its idolatrous and wicked inhabitants, of whom 
Jezebel was a specimen, incurred the judgments of 
God, whose threatenings against it by His prophets 
were fulfilled. Among the ancient relics still found 
here, perhaps the most remarkable are the elaborate 
tombs and sarcophagi with which the adjacent hill- 
sides abound, and where the early kings of Sidon were 
buried in rocky sepulchres and coffins of hewn 
stone. 

The next morning, a little after six o'clock, we left 
Sidon for Beirut, distant about twenty miles north. 
The glorious heights of Lebanon were on our right, 
many of them crowned with snow. A few clusters of 
magnificent cedars are left, the lonely representatives 
of the great and splendid forests on the mountain 
slopes in the days of Solomon and Hiram. We thought 
of that singular woman, Lady Hester Stanhope, as we 
passed opposite to the place where she lived and died. 
Near the shore we observed a khan and a white wely. 
They both bear the name of Jonah. And this is the 
spot where tradition says the great fish " vomited out" 
the prophet upon the dry land." It is at least a 
quiet and suitable place for such an event, and on the 
route from Joppa to Tarshish. Somewhere on this 
coast the event transpired, and it might have been here 



XXXIII. 



§eintt— Smpm— Constantinople — Jtljjtns— f jwte. 

Beirut is beautifully situated on a gentle eminence 
or cape, and is the most nourishing city on the coast. 
It has so outgrown its walls that there seems to be as 
many buildings outside of them as within. Its com- 
merce must be large. Our entrance to it was through 
fine groves of mulberry, pine and other trees. Here 
we spent two or three days, including a Sabbath. 
Here the Rev. Dr. Thomson resides, who has been a 
missionary of the American Board over thirty years 
in this country. Presenting my letter of introduction 
to him, he received us very cordially, invited us to 
spend an evening at his house, and insisted that I 
should preach once for him on the Lord's day. As- 
sembled with his agreeable family, we found several 
other missionaries and their families, making the occa- 
sion very pleasant. The missionaries had just been 
holding their annual meeting, after a year of unusual 
prosperity. There is a good chapel in Beirut, and 
divine service, with preaching both in English and 
Arabic, is held in it every Sabbath. We found at our 
hotel here the Booths, whom we had met in Jerusa- 
lem, and good fortune made them our fellow-passen- 
gers to Constantinople. Before leaving Beirut, Wil- 
liam A. Booth, Esq., of New York, with characteristic 



424 



LEAVING THE HOLY LAND. 



benevolence, left a very substantial token of his inter- 
est in the mission schools. 

At length our arrangements are made for leaving 
the land of sacred memories. A journey through 
Palestine and Syria — how many glorious associations 
are connected with it ! Its precious reminiscences and 
sweet pictures will forever remain in the mind, a con- 
stantly increasing delight. Farewell, O thou most 
wonderful of lands ! in thy paths and palm-shades, 
among thy mountains and vales, by thy cities and 
shores, my heart is still with thee ! 

glorious Land ! of all earth-realms preferred 

By Jehovah, whose voice thou so often hast heard, 
As thy valleys and hills re-echoed His word. 

1 tread in the paths where the patriarchs trod ; 
I visit the haunts of the prophets of God — 

Where the feet of bright angels have hallowed the sod. 

I enter thy portals, Salem renowned ! 

I walk about Zion, with towers once crowned ; 

Look down on Moriah, the Temple's fair ground. 

I go where the Saviour, b} r mountain and shore, 
With the twelve He had chosen, oft journeyed before 
Relieved the sad-hearted and preached to the poor. 

I gaze on the objects that He had surveyed: 

I trace His dear steps to Gethsemane's shade ; 

I weep where He wept, and pray where He prayed. 

I stand by the Hall where false judgment was given 
I go to the Hill where the Cross-nails were driven j 
I enter the Tomb of the loved One of Heaven. 



CUSTOM-HOIJSE OFFICIALS — CTPEtJS. 



425 



I pass o'er the Kedron to Olivet nigh, 

"Where Bethany nestles so sweet 'neath the eye, 

Where the Glorious Redeemer ascended on high. 

Land of the holiest memories, adieu ! 
My wanderings in thee I shall often renew ; 
Thy beautiful landscapes are ever in view. 

desolate Land ! 'neath a blight to remain, 

Till thy children, long scattered, are gathered again, 

And thy King, once rejected, shall over thee reign. 



Just before sunset on Monday evening, April ninth, 
we sailed from the harbor of Beirut, in a fine Austrian 
steamer bound for Constantinople. Before going 
aboard, the custom-house officers subjected us to a 
most tedious delay and vexatious examination of our 
luggage. They wanted more backsheesh than we 
were disposed to give, or more likely they were en- 
couraged to trouble us by a fiery scamp named Hal- 
eel, an assistant of our dragoman, who had become 
offended with one or two of our party, and thus sought 
revenge. We had twenty-two Americans on board, 
making a majority of the passengers, not including a 
number of pilgrims, mostly Greeks, returning from 
Palestine, and occupying a portion of the deck with 
their tents. The night was clear and calm, as was the 
next morning, when we anchored near Cyprus, and 
visited the island in small boats. We called on the 
American Consul, a son of Dr. Barclay, missionary at 
Jerusalem, and were pleasantly entertained at his am- 
ple rooms. We wandered through the bazaars of the 
town of Larnica, visited a Greek church, and a ceme- 
tery where Mr. Pease, first missionary of the Ameri 



426 



A PHENOMEfrOX — RHODES. 



can Board to Cyprus, was buried. This island was 
anciently celebrated for its temples and worship of Ve- 
nus by the voluptuous inhabitants ; it has always been 
noted for its fine vineyards and wines ; and it is fre- 
quently mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, as the 
home of Barnabas, and Mnason, the "old disciple," 
and as the scene of some of Paul's labors, where he 
preached the gospel to Serjius Paulus, aud encoun- 
tered the sorcerer Elyrnas. 

In a few hours we resumed our voyage over a fine 
sea. The next morning we were passing along the 
mountainous coast of Asia Minor. Some of the loft- 
iest slopes and peaks were covered with snow. Here 
the wind rose, and the sea began to swell. A singu- 
lar phenomenon occurred in the afternoon. The sky 
was filled with clouds of a reddish-yellow hue, and 
the falling rain was mixed with sand, covering our 
hats and coats with dust-drops. It was said the sand 
was blown from Cyprus, a long distance. At night 
the sea was very rough, and many were sick. 

Early the next morning we entered the harbor of 
.Rhodes, one of the islands mentioned in the account 
of Paul's voyage on his way to Jerusalem. We went 
ashore near the place where stood the huge Colossus, 
one of the seven wonders of the world. It was a 
statue of brass, one hundred and fifty feet high, each 
of its fingers being larger than a man ; but it was 
thrown down by an earthquake after it had stood a lit- 
tle more than half a century. e entered the gate of 
a dilapidated town, amidst old fortifications, castles, 
and cannons, passing from the ruins of an ancient 
church, along the street of the Knights of St. John, 



JSGrEAN SEA — PATMOS — SMYKNA. 



427 



the deserted stone houses being embellished with 
columns and slabs of marble, on wliich were engraved 
various escutcheons and crests. 

Resuming our voyage, we were now in the ^Egean 
Sea, the coast of Asia Minor and many islands in 
view. We passed Coos, and a little before sunset 
" the isle that is called Patmos," to which John, the 
beloved disciple, was banished, where he had glorious 
interviews with Christ, and caught and recorded the 
last accents of Inspiration. I was greatly interested 
in this little rocky spot, and was fortunate in obtaining 
a good view of it. The highest point of the island is 
crowned with a large monastery. The night was fear- 
fully temptuous, and the steamer creaked and pitched 
prodigiously in the rough sea, environed with rain, 
hail, and thunder and lightning. 

The next morning was clear, and we entered the 
harbor of Smyrna, the city and shore having a beau- 
tiful appearance as we approached them. It soon be- 
gan to rain, but we went ashore, wandered through 
the bazaars, and entered a Greek church, which was 
thronged hj an apparently happy multitude, kissing as 
fast as possible a picture of the crucifixion. It was 
Good Friday, and I noticed many men in the streets, 
carrying slaughtered lambs on their shoulders^ a cir- 
cumstance which the religious festival may explain. It 
was pleasant to see a majority of the people in Euro- 
pean costume, and many of the ladies were quite 
pretty. The following day we visited the cypress- 
shaded cemeteries back of the town, and lingered at 
the remains of the ancient amphitheater pointed out 
as the scene of Polycarp's martyrdom. The place of 
17 



428 



SITE OF TROY CONSTANTINOPLE. 



his burial, and the site of "the church in Smyrna" 
are near by. The high eminence above, crowned with 
an old castle, affords a fine view of the city and sur- 
rounding country. We returned by the Caravan 
Bridge — whence loaded camels depart 'into the inte- 
rior — a locality that, among several others, claims to 
be the birthplace of Homer. 

We sailed in the afternoon and stopped a short time 
in the evening at Mitylene, where Paul touched on 
his way from Greece to Jerusalem. We had a good 
view of the site of ancient Ilium or Troy before we 
entered the Dardanelles, the narrow straits separating 
Europe and Asia, and then passing the Hellespont we 
were on the Sea of Marmora. 

On the morning of April sixteenth, I was watching 
from the deck in the rain for a first glimpse of Con- 
stantinople, whose situation is fine, beautiful, magnifi- 
cent, perhaps unsurpassed by that of any city in the 
world. The Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, the slopes 
on each side covered with buildings massed together, 
splendid palaces, mosques with their grand domes and 
graceful minarets, with gardens and cypress groves 
above, formed a picture not soon to be forgotten. 
Scutari, Pera, and Stamboul, the site of old Byzan- 
tium, combine to make a city wdiose position for com- 
merce and influence as well as beauty of situation 
may well be coveted by the Czar. We found excellent 
accommodations at the Hotel de TEurope, kept by an 
Englishwoman, in Pera. The bazaars of Stamboul 
are wonderful for the profuse variety and tempting 
richness and beauty of the fabrics offered for sale. 
Notwithstanding the rain and the wind, I enjoyed the 



ST. SOPHIA — TOMBS — SERAGLIO* 



429 



long tramp for the attractive and curious sights and 
scenes it furnished. The next day we visited many 
places and objects of interest. It cost our large party 
three dollars each to enter the Mosque of St. Sophia. 
It is a magnificent edifice, originally built as a Chris- 
tian church. Tou must take off your boots and enter 
it in slippers. You look with wonder from the vast 
area up to the grand domes and around on the numer- 
ous and splendid columns of porphyry and green mar- 
ble or granite brought from Baalbek or from the tem- 
ple of Diana at Ephesus. The Mosque of Sultan 
Achmet is surmounted by an immense dome sup- 
ported by marble columns thirty-three feet in diam- 
eter. I noticed many boxes of baggage in the gal- 
leries said to belong to persons on the pilgrimage to 
Mecca. The Tombs of Sultan Mahmoud and family 
are very costly. In the temple or mausoleum were a 
number of large sarcophagi, covered with rich shawls 
and velvets. Copies of the Koran, elegantly printed 
and embellished, and wrapped in splendidly embroi- 
dered cloth, were laid in chairs around the tombs. We 
were next taken to a large building containing speci- 
mens of old armor, and especially curious for its mul- 
titude of life-like representations of the janizaries of 
the Sultan, resembling wax-fixures, in all sorts of cos- 
tumes and attitudes. Our firman for the Mosque of 
St. Sophia and other places also included admission to 
the Seraglio Palace. The gardens and grounds about 
it are spacious and shaded by cypress-trees. It occu- 
pies a point on the edge of the Golden Horn, a beau- 
tiful situation. Time would fail to describe the vari 
ous apartments we entered, their attractions, their 



430 BOStHOEUS GOLDEN HOEN CLASSIC SPOTS. 



splendors, arrangement and furniture, from the throne- 
room to the bath, not including the harem. 

We were anxious for a sail up the Bosphorus to the 
Black Sea, and finding that no steamer was going in 
the afternoon, we chartered one on its arriving from 
some point below, and had a fine trip which we great- 
ly enjoyed amidst beautiful scenery on both the Eu- 
ropean and Asiatic sides, as castles, palaces and 
mosques, fine dwellings and country seats, with gar- 
dens and groves, continually greeted us, till we got a 
good view of the Black Sea, when we returned. The 
next morning, clear and beautiful, three of us took a 
caique and were rowed up the Golden Horn to its ex- 
tremity, and were delighted with the excursion and 
the scenery. The caique is a light, elegant, canoe- 
like boat, embellished with delicate carving inside, 
drawing but little water and gliding like a fish. Cush- 
ions are furnished and we sit in the bottom a la Ticrli 1 , 

We had engaged passage for Marseilles on a fine 
French steamer, and left Constantinople about five 
o'clock in the afternoon, obtaining a beautiful view of 
the city in our departure. The next morning we 
passed again by the plains of Troy and near the tomb 
of Achilles, a mound of earth. Mount Ida, crowned 
with snow, loomed up in the rear. On our right was 
Samothrace where Neptune surveyed the fleet, and 
we passed close to Tenedos, behind which the fleet lay 
anchored. On our left was Chios, or Scio, that rocky 
isle that claims to be the birthplace of " the blind old 
bard." We passed in view of several other islands of 
classic or historical interest. 

By daylight the next morning, April twentieth, we 



ATHENS — ACROPOLIS — ENCHANTING VIEW. 431 



arrive at the Piraeus, the port of Athens, and are 
soon looking out upon the soil of Greece. Our steamer 
remains here till afternoon ; so we get a cup of coffee 
and hasten on shore, and take carriages for the re- 
nowned city of Minerva, distant 5 miles. It is a good 
road through fields of wheat and barley, and groves 
of olive, vine and fig. Soon the Acropolis and the 
ruins of ancient Athens are in view. Who can des- 
cribe the associations they awaken of mighty men and 
great events in the olden past ? We alighted near the 
Temple of Theseus, in and around which are numer- 
ous marble statues much broken and defaced ; but the 
building itself is tolerably well preserved. We then 
made our way to the Acropolis, and ascending the 
marble steps through the columns of the Propylon, or 
grand gateway, we entered the Parthenon, the beauty 
and glory of all Grecian temples in its architecture 
and situation, and still in its shattered and ruined 
state exciting our unbounded admiration. The Erech- 
theum and the Temple of Victory, built after the 
battles of Marathon and Salamis, are fine structures 
near. The view from the lofty and commanding site 
of the Parthenon is enchantingly beautiful. The ex- 
quisite outline of the hills and the graceful sweep of 
the valleys and shores are indescribable. There are 
the mountains Pentelicus and Hymettus, the streams 
Ilissus and Cephissus, the grove of Academus, and 
farther off, in full sight, the Bay of Salamis. Among 
the interesting localities near by are the rocky prison 
in the side of a hill where Socrates came to his death, 
and the Pnyx, or stone steps, where Demosthenes and 
other Grecian orators were accustomed to address the 



432 



MARS' HILL DR. KING — MOUNT J2TNA.. 



people. "We visited also the ruins of the magnificent 
Temple of Jupiter Olympus, man} 7 of whose lofty Co- 
rinthian columns still stand in their "beauty and gran- 
deur. But I was specially interested in Mars' Hill, 
only a short distance northwest of the Acropolis. We 
ascended the sixteen steps cut in the solid rock to the 
hewn platform where the court of Areopagus was 
held. Up these steps and to this spot the Apostle 
Paul was conducted,, and addressed the philosophic 
Atheneans in a sublime discourse of the true God and 
of spiritual worship. Here I read to our party the 
sketch of that discourse in the Acts, and looked upon 
some of the same temples that he saw as he declared, 
the " Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth not ic tem- 
ples made with hands." Passing through the com- 
pact modern city, we returned to the Piraeus, accom- 
panied by the lie v. Dr. King, the veteran missionary, 
whom it was a pleasure to meet on the field of his 
labors. 

In the afternoon we resumed our voyage, and in 
two days the coasts of Italy and Sicily were in sight. 
We had a fine view of Mount ^Etna, looming up in 
lofty grandeur, wearing a crown of snow plumed with 
a column of smoke. We stopped a few hours at Mes- 
sina, the place appearing much better than it did in 
the rain at a previous visit. But the city was full of 
soldiers, and the people were greatly excited, a num- 
ber of them having recent^ been shot down in the 
streets. The Italian revolution was breaking out. 
Here we reluctantly parted with our valued friends, 
Child and Howe, who took another steamer for Na- 
ples and Rome to meet their wives whom they had 



MARSEILLES — PARIS — ON THE OCEAN. 433 



left on going to the East, In the evening as we were 
passing near Stromboli, a tall conical mountain, rising 
out of the sea, I walked the deck till a late hour, 
watching the occasional brilliant eruptions of the vol- 
cano. Our course was between the islands of Sar- 
dinia and Corsica, both in view, and we reached Mar- 
seilles early on the morning of the twenty-fifth, hav- 
ing had a fine voyage. 

After a jueasant walk over the town, finding many 
of its streets beautiful and its buildings elegant, we 
took the railway for Paris. It was an agreeable 
change, and the country looked attractive in its ver- 
nal attire. We passed many fine towns, and some 
old Roman ruins. We reached Lyons, a large and 
flourishing city, about sunset, and Paris the next 
morning at half-past six o'clock, passing Fountain- 
bleau a little after daylight. The gay capital of 
France seemed more beautiful than ever, and a week's 
tarry now only added to its fascinations. A visit of 
dear friends from Montargis, Mr. and Mrs. George M. 
Howell, was as delightful as it was unexpected, and 
their kindness is gratefully remembered. 

A trip to Havre and London, with some rural ex- 
cursions was greatly enjoyed, though the passage 
across the channel was terribly rough. On the ninth 
of May, after a visit to the Great Eastern, I embarked 
from Southampton on the splendid American steamer 
Adriatic, Captain Comstock. Of our party in the 
East only Messrs. "Welch and Snyder were fellow-pas- 
sengers. I was pleased to find Henry Trowbridge, 
Esq., of New Haven, and Rev. Dr. Saw r telle, of Havre, 
on board ; and a gentleman remarked that we had also 



434 



AMERICAN NOBLEMEN — HOME. 



on the steamer three American noblemen, each a 
prince in his sphere — Mr. Hoe, of the printing-press, 
"Mr. F. Harper, the publisher, and Mr. "Webb, the 
ship-builder. We had a quick and agreeable voyage 
over a somewhat rough sea, including one Sabbath 
with a pleasant religious service. It was not quite 
ten days when we came up the bay of New York, and 
the beautiful verdure of Jersey shore and Stateii Is- 
land greeted our joyous vision. Reaching the wharf 
at noon, on the nineteenth, familiar faces were a grate- 
ful sight, and soon it was a blessed realization to be 
with loved ones at home I 



VISIT OF THE PRINCE OF WALES TO THE GAVE OF 

MACHPELAH. 

An event which I intimated on page 236 as likely ere 
long to occur lias already transpired. The Mosque 
bnilt over the Cave of Machpelah has been opened to 
others besides Moslems. All Christians have been 
excluded from it for the last six hundred years. The 
following account from the London limes of the re- 
cent visit of the Prince of Wales and his party to that 
sacred locality, is of such importance and interest to 
Biblical scholars and others, that [ insert it here : 

" Jerusalem, April 9, 1862. 

''You, and many others, will doubtless take a deep 
interest in hearing that the entrance of the Prince in- 
to the Mosque of Hebron has been effected. I will 
not trouble you with the long negotiations which pre- 
ceded the event. Mr. Finn, the English Consul at 
Jerusalem, had prepared the way by requesting an 
order from the Porte for this purpose. The Vizierial 
letter, which was sent instead of a Firman, left the 
matter to the discretion of the Governor of Jeru- 
salem. The Governor, as long as he could, refused to 
take upon himself the responsibility of a step which 
had hitherto no precedent, even in the visits of royal 
personages. By the mingled firmness and modera- 
tion of General Bruce in representing the Prince's 
wishes, and, I must add, through the adroitness of oar 




436 



APPENDIX. 



interpreter, Mr. Noel Moore, the Governor's reluc- 
tance was at last overcome ; and, on condition that the 
Prince should be accompanied only by a very small 
number, he consented to guarantee the safe inspection 
of all that was accessible to Mussulmans themselves. 
On this understanding the Prince and his suite pro- 
ceeded to Hebron. We were joined by Dr. Rosen, 
well known to travelers in Palestine from his profound 
knowledge of sacred geography, and, in this instance, 
doubly valuable as a companion from the special at- 
tention which he has paid to the topography of Hebron 
and its neighborhood. On our arrival we found that 
the Governor had made every preparation for the 
safety of the experiment. The approach to the town 
was lined with troops ; guards were stationed on the 
housetops. The royal party, which, by the final 
arrangement of the Governor, comprised the members 
of the Prince's immediate suite, was conducted by a 
body of soldiers up to the entrance of the sacred en- 
closure. It is possible that these preparations were 
caused by excess of caution. In point of fact, there 
was no appearance of disaffection on the part of the 
population, beyond their absence from the streets as 
we passed ; nor was there the slightest overt act of 
hostility or insult. 

" You, who know the spot so well, will have fol- 
lowed us to the point where inquiring travelers have, 
from generation to generation, been checked in their 
approach to this, the most ancient and the most au- 
thentic of all the Holy Places of the Holy Land. Let 
me for a moment recapitulate its history. On the 
slope of that hill was, beyond all question, situated 
the rock with its double cave which Abraham bought 
from Ephron the Hittite, as his earliest possession in 
Palestine. 6 There they buried Abraham and Sarah 
his wife; there they buried Isaac and Pebekah his 
wife ; and there I buried Leah' (Gen. xlix. 31) ; and 
thither, when he himself died on the banks of the 
Nile, his body, embalmed with all the art of Egypt, 



APPENDIX. 



437 



was conveyed, with a vast Egyptian escort, to the 
frontiers of the Holy Land, and deposited, according 
to his dying wish, 4 with his fathers in the cave that is 
in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is 
in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in 
the land of Canaan.' (Gen. xlix. 29, 30.) Of all 
the great patriarchal family Rachel alone is ab- 
sent, in the tomb selected for her by Jacob on the 
spot where she died on the way to Bethlehem. We 
are not left to conjecture the reverence that was paid 
to this spot when the descendants of Abraham dwelt 
in that country and occupied it as their own. Jose- 
ph us expressly informs us that it was surrounded by 
them by vast walls, existing even to this day. That 
these walls are the massive enclosures on the exterior 
of which so many eager eyes have been fixed in our 
own times can hardly be doubted. Their size, their 
beveled frames, their agreement with the description 
of Josephus, which became still more conspicuous as 
we approached them close at hand, and saw, more dis- 
tinctly than could have been otherwise possible, their 
polished, well-wrought surface, accords with an early 
Jewish origin, and with no other. But beyond this 
has hitherto been a matter, if not indeed of total ig- 
norance, yet of uncertainty even more provoking than 
ignorance in itself. From the accounts of the pil- 
grims of the seventh and eighth centuries we learn 
that already by that time a Christian church had been 
erected within the Jewish enclosure. This church, 
after the expulsion of the Christians by the Mussul- 
mans, was known to have been converted into a 
mosque. Whether the cave was visible within the 
building is a matter on which t; i e mediaeval visitants 
to the spot vary so widely as to leave us in complete 
doubt. But that it lay within was never questioned 
by any, whether Jew or Mussulman ; and the tremen- 
dous sanctity with which these last occupants have 
invested the spot is, in fact, a living witness of the un- 
brokou local veneration with which all three religions 



438 



APPENDIX 



have honored the great Patriarch, whose title has, in 
the months of the native population, long superseded 
the ancient appellation of 'Hebron,' now called by no 
other name than ' El-Khalil '— 4 The Friend of God.' 
Within this sacred precinct, accordingly, for 600 years, 
no European, except by stealth, has ever set his foot. 
Three accounts alone in modern times have given any- 
thing like a description of the interior — one, extremely 
brief and confused, by an Italian servant of Mr. 
Bankes, who entered in disguise ; another by an 
English clergyman (the Rev. Veve Monro), who does 
not, however, appear to speak from his own testi- 
mony ; and a third, more distinct, by Ali Bey, a 
Spanish renegade. While the other sacred places in 
Palestine, the mosque at Jerusalem and the mosque 
at Damascus, have been thrown open at least to dis- 
tinguished travelers, this still remains, even to royal 
personages, hermetically sealed. To break through 
this mystery, to clear up this uncertainty, even irres- 
pectively of the extraordinary interest attaching to the 
spot, will, I have no doubt, appear to many an object 
not unworthy of the first visit of a Prince of Wales to 
the Holy Land, and as such it has been felt by his 
Poyal Highness and by those who have accompanied 
him on the present occasion. 

"To resume my narrative, which I will confine ;is 
much as possible to such points as need not involve a 
discussion of mere antiquarian details. At the head 
of the staircase, which by its long ascent showed that 
the platform of the mosque was on the uppermost slope 
of the hill, and, therefore, above the level where, if 
anywhere, the sacred cave would be found, we en- 
tered the precincts of the mosque itself, and we e 
received by one of its guardians, a descendant of one 
of the companions of Mohammed, with the utmost 
courtesy on his part, though not without deep groans 
from some of his attendants, redoubled as we moved 
from one sacred spot to another. We passed (without 
our shoes) through an open court into the mosque. — 



APPENDIX. 



439 



With regard to the building itself, two points at once 
became apparent : first, that it had been originally a 
Byzantine church. To any one acquainted with the 
Cathedral of St. Sophia at Constantinople, and with 
the monastic churches of Mount Athos, this is evident 
from the double narthex or portico, and from the four 
pillars of the nave. Secondly, that it had been con- 
verted at a much later period into a mosque. This is 
indicated by the pointed arches, and by the truncation 
of the apse. This building occupies (to speak roughly) 
about one third of the platform. I proceed to describe 
its relation to the sepulchres of the Patriarchs. It is 
the innermost of the outer porticos which contains the 
two first. In the recess on the right is the alleged 
tomb of Abraham, on the left that of Sarah, each 
guarded by silver gates. The shrine containing the 
tomb of Sarah we were requested not to enter, as be- 
ing that of a woman. The shrine of Abraham, after a 
momentary hesitation, and with a prayer offered to the 
Patriarch for permission to enter, was thrown open. 
The chamber is cased in marble. The tomb consists 
of a coffin-like structure, like most Moslem tombs, 
built up of plastered stone or marble, and hung with 
carpets — green, embroidered with gold. The three 
which cover this tomb are said to have been presented 
by Mohammed II., Selim L, and the late Sultan Ab- 
dul Medjid. I need hardly say that this tomb (and 
the same remark applies to all the others) does not 
profess to be more than a cenotaph, raised above the 
actual grave, which lies beneath. But it was impossi- 
ble not to feel a thrill of unusual emotion at standing 
in a relation so near to such a spot — an emotion, I 
may add, enhanced by the rare occasion which had 
opened the gates of that consecrated place (as the 
guardian of the mosque expressed it) ' to no one less 
than the eldest son of the Queen of England.' Within 
the area of the church or mosque were shown, in like 
manner, the tombs of Isaac and Pebekah. They dif- 
fered from the two others in being placed under sepa- 



440 



APPENDIX. 



rate chapels, and closed not with silver, but iron gates. 
To Rebekah's tomb the same decorous rule of the ex- 
clusion of male visitors naturally applied as in the case 
of Sarah's. But on requesting to see the tomb of 
Isaac, we were entreated not to enter, and on asking, 
with some surprise, why an objection which had been 
conceded for Abraham should be raised in the case of 
his far less eminent son, were answered that the dif- 
ference lay in the character of the two Patriarchs : — 

'"Abraham w T as full of loving kindness; he had 
withstood even the resolution of God against Sodom 
and Gomorrah; he was goodness itself, and would 
overlook any affront. But Isaac was proverbially 
jealous, and it was exceedingly dangerous to exasper- 
ate him. When Ibrahim Pasha (as conqueror of Pal- 
estine) had endeavored to enter, he had been driven 
out by Isaac, and fell back as if thunderstruck.' 

" The chapel, in fact, contains nothing of interest ; 
but I mention this story both for the sake of the sin- 
gular sentiment which it expresses, and also because 
it Well illustrates the peculiar feeling which (as we 
are told) had tended to preserve the sanctity of the 
place — an awe amounting to terror of the great per- 
sonages who lay beneath, and who would, it was sup- 
posed, be sensitive to any disrespect shown to their 
graves, and revenge it accordingly. 

"The tombs of Jacob and Leah were shown in re- 
cesses corresponding to those of Abraham and Sarah, 
but in a separate cloister, opposite the entrance of the 
mosque. Against Leah's tomb, as seen through the 
grate, two green banners reclined, the origin and 
meaning of which were unknown. The gates of Ja- 
cob's shrine were opened without difficulty, but it calls 
for no special remark. 

Thus far the monuments of the mosque adhere 
strictly to the biblical account, as given above. The 
variation which follows rests, as I am informed by Dr. 
Rosen, on the general tradition of the country ( justi- 
fied perhaps, by an ambiguous expression in Jose- 



APPENDIX. 



441 



pirns), that the body of Joseph, after having been 
deposited first at Shechem (Joshua xxiv. 32), was 
subsequently transported to Hebron. But the pecu- 
liar situation of this alleged tomb agrees with the ex- 
ceptional character of the tradjtion. It is in a domed 
chamber attached to the enclosure from the outside, 
and reached, therefore, by an aperture broken through 
the massive wall itself, and thus visible on the exte- 
rior of the southern side of the wall. It is less costly 
than the others, and it is remarkable that, although 
the name of his wife, (according to the Mussulman 
version, Zuleika) is inserted in the certificates given to 
pilgrims who have visited the mosque, no grave hav- 
ing that appellation is shown. No other tombs were 
exhibited in the mosque. Two, resembling those of 
Isaac and Kebekah, which were seen (by one of our 
party only) within an adjacent smaller mosque, were 
afterwards explained to us as merely ornamental. 

" It will be seen that up to this point no mention 
has been made of the subject of the greatest interest 
to all of us — namely, the sacred cave itself in which 
one at least of the patriarchal family may still be be- 
lieved to repose intact— -the embalmed body of Jacob. 
It may be well supposed that to this object our inqui- 
ries were throughout directed. One indication alone 
of the cavern beneath was visible. In the interior of 
the mosque, at the corner of the shrine of Abraham, 
was a small circular hole, about eight inches across, 
of which one foot above the pavement was built of 
strong masonry, but of which the lower part, as far as 
we could see and feel, was of the living rock. This 
cavity appeared to open into a dark space beneath, 
and that space (which the guardians of the mosque be- 
lieved to extend under the whole platform), can hardly 
;je anything else than the ancient cavern of Machpe- 
lah. This was the only aperture which the guardians 
recognized. Once, they said, twenty -five hundred 
years ago, a servant of a great king had penetrated 
through some other entrance. He descended in full 



442 



APPENDIX. 



possession of Ms faculties, and of remarkable corpu- 
lence ; he returned blind, deaf, withered, and crippled. 
Since then the entrance was closed, and this aperture 
alone was left, partly for the sake of allowing a lamp 
to be let down, by a chain wnich we saw suspended 
at the mouth, to burn upon the sacred grave. AYe 
asked whether it could not be lighted now, ' No,' 
they said ; ' the saint likes to have a lamp at night, 
but not in the full daylight. With that glimpse into 
the dark void we and the world without must be con- 
tent to be satisfied. Other entrances may exist, 
or have existed, and the knowledge we have acquired 
of the different parts of the platform would enable us 
to indicate the points where such apertures might he 
expected. But for the present it was the full convic- 
tion of those of the party best qualified to judge that 
no other entrance is known to the Mussulmans them- 
selves. The unmistakable terror to which I have be- 
fore alluded is of itself a guarantee that they would 
not enter into the cave if they could, and the general 
language of the Arabic histories of the mosque is in 
the same direction. 

"The results of the Prince's visit may, perhaps, be 
disappointing to you and to those who hoped for a 
more direct solution of the mysteries of Hebron. But 
they are, I am convinced, all that can at present be 
obtained, and I will, in conclusion, .draw attention to 
two or three indirect benefits which may be derived 
from the use which has been made of this great oppor- 
tunity, lu the first place, by our entrace, the first 
step has been taken for the removal of this bar of ex- 
clusion from this most sacred and interesting spot. 
Had the Prince and his advisers shrunk from pressing 
the claim which the Turkish Government had con- 
ceded, or had the Pacha of Jerusalem persisted in re- 
pudiating the responsibility which his Government 
threw upon him, the doors of the mosque would have 
been closed with a still firmer hold than before. As 
it is, although the relaxation may be slight and gradual, 



APPENDIX. 



443 



and although the advantage gained must be used with 
the utmost caution and forbearance, yet it is impossi- 
ble not to feel that some effect will be produced even 
on the devotees of Hebron when they feel that the 
Patriarchs have not suffered any injury or affront, and 
that even Isaac rests tranquilly in his grave. And 
Englishmen may fairly rejoice that this advance in 
the cause of religious tolerance and of Biblical know- 
ledge has been attained in the person of the heir to 
the English throne, out of regard to the position which 
he and his country hold in the Eastern world. 

" In the second place, it will be a considerable gain 
to future inquirers that a survey of the mosque has 
been taken (however imperfectly) by persons who saw 
it not in disguise, or by stealth, but at leisure, and 
with their attention fixed on the objects most to be 
sought for. Perhaps the above account contains little 
more than might be gleaned from those of the early 
pilgrims, or of Ali Bey. (The latter narrative in par- 
ticular is, as you will see, substantially corroborated.) 
But it enables us to understand them better, to correct 
their deficiencies, and to rectify their confusion. To 
do this in the present letter would require more time 
and space than I can command ; but 1 am surprised to 
find how much light this short inspection has thrown 
on passages which before seemed to me irrecoverably 
dark. Dr. Rosen, you will also be glad to hear, has, 
with the help of one of our party, constructed a ground 
plan of the whole platform, and I trust that these re- 
sults, in his hands, and in the hands of other Biblical 
students, will serve to render the Prince's visit not 
merely an occasion to be long remembered with grat- 
itude by those whose entrance was thus facilitated, but 
a real advance in the knowledge of this world-re- 
nowned, spot. The existence and exact situation of 
the cave, the closer view of the ancient enclosure with- 
in and without, the origin and arrangements of the 
mosque, the precise relation of the different tombs to 
each other, and the general conformity of the traditions 



444 



APPENDIX. 



of the mosque to the accounts of the Bible and of the 
early travelers, are now for the first time clearly ascer- 
tained. To explore the recesses of the cave and to 
discover within them (if so be) the embalmed remains 
of Jacob, must be reserved for another generation, for 
wdiich this visit will have been the preparation. 

" P. S. It may be observed that the shrines of 
Isaac and Rebekah, standing as they do in the center 
of the mosque, occupy a position altogether unusual in 
Mussulman buildings, where the corners are the places 
of honorable burial. This and their peculiar structure 
would lead us to suppose that they stand on the exact 
sites described by the early Christian pilgrims. The 
belief of the guardians of the mosque is that the mas- 
sive enclosure was built by genii under the direction 
of Solomon. The mosque they ascribe to the Egyptian 
Sultan Kalarun. They account for the tomb of Jo- 
seph by saying that his body was buried in the Nile 
for 1,005 years, after which the secret was revealed to 
Moses by an Egyptian on condition that Moses should 
marry his daughter. Moses did so, and carried off the 
body to Hebron. Jt would seem from the account of 
Arculf that there weie seven tombs there in his day, 
but that the seventh was that of Adam. The tradition 
of Adam's burial in Hebron, however, appears to be a 
Christian (not a Mussulman) tradition, founded only 
on the Yulgate. It occurred boih to Dr. Rosen and 
myself that Arculf 's expression about the low wall 
(humili muro) might be explained by his having seen 
it only from the inside of the platform, whereas 
modern travelers have seen it only from the outside, 
where its height is much more striking. 



INDEX OF BIBLE PLACES. 



This Index embraces every Scripture Place mentioned in this work, generally with 
a definition (in parenthesis), and the present Arabic name in italics, and with 
topics and Bible references of the place or of passages quoted in connexion with it. 
Terms explained: — 'A, En, fountain; Beit, Beth, house; Jebel, mountain; 
Khan, caravansary ; Keby, prophet ; Tell, hill ; Wady, valley ; Wely, saint's 
tomb. 



Abarim (regions bcvond), mountains of, 

2S7, Num. xxxiii. 48. 
Absalom's Pillar, 244, 2 Sam. xviii. 18. 
Accho (heated sand), Acre, ''AkTca, plain 

of, 409; town and fortress of, 4L0, 

J*d. i. 81. 

Aceldama (field of blood), 241, Mat. 

xxvii. 8 ; Acts i. 19. 
Achor (trouble), Wady el-Kelt, valley of, 

295; Josh. vii. 24-26. 
Achzib (deceitful), es-Zib, 412, Josh, xix, 

29. 

Adullam (for concealment), cave of, 260 ; 
1 Sam. xxii. 1. 

Adummim (red or bloody), pass of, 300; 
road from Jerusalem to Jericho, 301 ; 
Josh. xv. 7, xviii. 17 ; Luke x. 30-37. 

Ai, Hai, Aiath (ruins), Tel-el- ffajart bat- 
tle of, 827, Josh. viii. 1-29. 

Aialon (field of deer), Yalo, valley of, 
219, Josh. x. 12. 

Alexandria, Ixkanderieli, 154-160; wo- 
men grinding at a mill, 15S ; Acts 
xxvii. 6; Mat. xxiv. 41. 

Allon-bachuth(oakof weeping), 326, Gen. 
xxxv. 8. 

Amnion (son of my people), mountains 

of, 2S7, Num. xxi. 24. 
Anathoth (answers), Anata, birthplace 

of Jeremiah, 320, Jer. xxix. 27. 
Arimathea, Ramlehf home of Joseph, 

216; women weeping at a grave in, 

217; Mat. xxvii. 57; John xi. 31. 
Armageddon, (mountain of Megiddo), 

375, Rev. xvi. 16. 
Ascalon (migration), AsJculan, 215, Jud. 

xiv. 19. 

Ashdod, Azotus (stronghold), Usdud, 215, 

1 Sam. v. 1. 
Asher (happiness), position and richness 

of, 406, Deut. xxxiii. 24. 
Athens, temples, beautiful site of, 431 ; 

Paul's discourse at Mars' Hill, 432, 

Acts xvii. 15-34. 
Baal zephon (place of Typhon) Bueaf 204, 

Ex. xiv. 2. 



Bash an (fruitful), Bottein, mountains of, 
372, Ps. lxviii. 15. 

Beeroth (wells), Bireh, village and tradi- 
tion of, 323, Josh. ix. 17 ; Luke ii. 44, 
45. 

Benjamin (son of my right hand), heights 
and passes of, 319 ; aspect of, 820, Josh, 
xviii. 11-13. 

Berachah (blessing"), Berikut, valley of, 
battle at, 261, 2 Chron. xx. 26. 

Bethany (house of dates), Lazarieh, walk 
to, house of Martha and Mary and of 
Simon, 24S ; tomb of Lazarus, 251; 
Jesus at, 302 ; his ascension, 803 ; John 
xi. 1-38; Luke xxiv. 50. 

Bethaven, (house of iniquity), changed 
from Bethel, 827, Hos. x. 5. 

Bethel (house of God), Beitin, site and 
associations of, 325 ; reservoir, Abra- 
ham and Lot at, 325 ; Jacob's vision, 
death of Deborah at, 326; sanctuary 
and temple of, 327; Gen. xii. 8; xiii. 
10-12; xxviii. 11-19; xxxv. 6, 7; 1 
Kiugs, xii. 2S-32 ; Amos v. 5. 

Bethesda (house of mercy), pool of, 313; 
John v. 2. 

Bethlehem (house of bread), Beit Lahm, 
situation of, 255, 270 ; tomb of Rachel, 
256; fields of Boaz and the shepherds, 
270 ; Church of the Nativity, tombs of 
Paula and Jerome, 273; the stable and 
manger, birth of Christ, 274; city of 
David, 275 ; Gen. xxxv. 19 ; Ruth ii. 4 ; 
1 Sam. xvi. 11 ; Mat. ii. 2, 16 ; Luke ii. 
8, 11 ; 1 Chron. xi. 17 ; Mic. v. 2. 

Beth-horon (house of caves), Beit ' £7r, 
219, 321; Josh. x. 11. 

Beth-peor (house of opening), temb of 
Moses, 278 ; Deut. xxxiv. 6. 

Bethsaida (house of fisheries) Beit Saida, 
site of, not two Bethsaidas, 3S4; John 
i. 44; Luke ix. 10. 

Bethshean, Bethshan (house of rest), Bei- 
san, bodies of Saul and his sons fast- 
ened to walls of, 364; 1 Sam. xxxi. 
12. 



446 



INDEX OF BIBLE PLACES. 



Beth-shemesh (house of the sun"), *Ain 
exh-Shems, 220 ; 1 Sam. vi. 20, 21. 

Bethzur, (house of the rock), Beit Sur, 
261 ; Josh. xv. 53. 

Calvary (a skull), position of, 225; Via 
Dolorosa, 230; a new discovery con- 
firming traditional site of, 231 ; cov- 
ered by Church of tiie Holy Sepulchre, 
232 ; scene of the crucifixion, 233 ; John 
xix. 4, 5 ; Luke xxiii. 33, 28, 35 ; Mat. 
xxvii. 54. 

Cana (zeal), Kefr Kenna, appearance of, 
the marriage and miracle, 397; foun- 
tain at, 3T8; John ii. 1-11, iv. 46, 
xxi. 2. 

Canaan (lowland), Israelites' entrance to 
land of, 289; Abraham's first tent in, 
301; Joseph's rich possession in the 
heart of, 311 ; Gen. xii. 6, xlix. 22. 

Capernaum (village of Nahum), Tell 
Ihim, suburbs of, Tabiga, 384 ; home of 
Jesus, and scenes in his ministry, 3S5 ; 
situation of favorable for his labors, 3So 
-387 ; Mat. iv. 13, 19, 25, xi. 23. 

Carmel (a park), Mount, JeljelMar Elias, 
seen from Tabor, 373 ; trial of Baal at, 
375; view of Convent on, 409 ; thunder 
storm upon, 410 ; Jer. xlvi. IS ; 1 Kings 

xviii. 19-45. 

Cherith (cutting), Kelt, brook, Elijah at, 

294; 1 Kings xvii. 3. 
Chinnereth, Chinneroth, Cinneroth, 6ee 

Gennesaret, 382; Num. xxxiv. 11. 
Cyprus, landing at island of, 425 ; Paul's 

labors at, 426 ; Acts iv. 36, xiii. 7, 8, 

xxi. 16. 

Daberath (a word), Deburieh, exploits 
of Deborah, 369 ; Josh. xix. 12 ; Jud. 
iv. 15. 

Dan (a judge), Joppa a city of, 212 ; Josh. 

xix. 46. 

Dead Sea, see Salt Sea, 277. 

Decapolis (ten cities), situation of, 395 ; 
Mat. iv. 25. 

Dothan (two cisterns), Tell Dotliain, fine 
pasture grounds, conspiracy against 
Joseph, pits or dry cisterns, 356 ; Ish- 
maelite caravans, Elisha and the celes- 
tial army, 357 ; Gen. xxxvii. 20 ; Jer. 
xli. 8 ; 2 Kings vi. 14-17. 

Ebal (stony) Mount, Imad el-Deen (pil- 
lar of religion), 335; cursings pro- 
nounced #n, 342; Josh. viii. 33; Deut. 
xi. 29, xxvii. 13. 

Ebenezer (stone of help), 220, 1 Sam. 
vii. 12. 

Egypt (limit), land of, 156 ; brick making 
in, 176 ; watering with the foot; "the 
river of Egypt," 274, 290, 178; Gen. 
xli. 41, xv. 18 ; Deut. xi. 10. 

Ekron (eradication), 'AJcir, 215, Josh, 
xiii. 3. 

Emmaus (hot baths), Amwas, 219; prob- 
able site of, 220, Luke xxiv. 13. 
Endor (fount of dwelling), Endur, situ- 



ation of, Saul and the witch, 332 ; Josh. 

xvii. 11 ; 1 Sam. xxviii. 7-25. 
En-gannim (fountain of gardens), Jenin, 

gardens, cactus-hedges and fountain of, 

359 ; a wounded king fled toward, 363 ; 

Josh. xxi. 28, 29 ; 2 Kings ix. 27. 
En-gedi (fountain of the kid) ^Ain Jidy, 

hills of, 266; "wilderness of," 27S ; 1 

Sam. xxiv. 1. 
En-Rogel (.fuller's fountain), Beer Eyxib % 

well of, 242 ; Josh. xv. 7, 8 ; 2 Sam. 

xvii. 17 ; 1 Kings i. 9. 
En-shemesh (fountain of the sun), 'Aim 

el-H<iud, waters of, 302 ; Josh. xv. 7. 

Ephraim (double land), territory and fer- 
tility of, 293, 299 ; village of Yebrud, 
329 ; Fountain of Robbers, 330 ; moun- 
tains and fruitfulness of, 335, 347; 
Deut. xxxiii. 14, 15 ; Gen. xlix. 22, 26. 

Ephrath (land), tomb of Rachel, 256; 
Gen. xlviii. 7. 

Eschol (cluster), valley, brook, and fine 
vineyards of, 262; grape slips from, 
269; Num. xiii. 23 , 24; Mat. xxi. 33. 

Etam (place of wild beasts), Urtsis, vale 
of, 270 ; 2 Chron. xi. 6. 

Fountain of Elisha, 'iia es-Sultan, 298 ; 
2 Kings ii. 19-22. 

"Fountain sealed," 257 ; Cant. iv. 12. 

Galilee (circle), Jeliel, province of, 360, 
364; Mat. iv. 15. 

Galilee, Sea of, Tubariyeh, first view of, 
from Tabor, 378 ; banks of, 381 ; beach 
and fish of, 3S3 ; complete view of, 388 ; 
tempests on, 388 ; Sabbath services at, 
3S9 ; last view of, 3S9 : Mat. viii. 32, iv. 
18, 19 ; John vi. 17-20, xxi. 1, 5-13. 

Gath (a press), Beit JibHn, 215; 2 Sam. 
i. 20 ; Amos vi. 2. 

Gaza (strength), Guzseh, 215: Jud. xvi. 1. 

Geba (a hill), Jeba, 323; Isa'. x. 29. 

Gerizim (separated), Mount, Jebelet-Tur, 
335, 336 ; blessings pronounced on, 342 ; 
ascent of, 342 ; Samaritan temple and 
shrines on, 344; fine view from top of, 
345; Deut. xi. 29, xxvii. 15; Josh. viii. 
33 ; John iv. 20. 

Gennesaret, Lake of, see Galilee, Sea of, 
Luke v. 1. 

Gennesaret (garden for the prince), el- 
Ghuioeir, land or plain of, 382 ; fertil- 
ity, trees, birds of, 382 ; streams of, 
scenes of Christ's teaching, 3S3 ; Mat. 
xiv. 34, iv. 21, xiii. 

Gethsemane (oil press), BscTiesmaniye, 
garden of, 308; aged olive trees in, 
309 ; services and emotions in, 310 ; 
lessons of, 311 ; Mat. xxvi. 36-46 ; John 

xviii. 1. 

Gibeah (a hill), Tel-el-Fulil, birthplace 

of Saul, Rizpah's grief, 322 ; 1 Sam. xv. 

34; Jud. xix., 2 Sam. xxi. 9, 10. 
Gibeon (a hill) il-Jib, site of, 320 ; history 

of, 321 ; Josh. x. 12 ; 2 Sam. ii. 18-16, 

xx. 8, 9. 



INDEX OE BIBLE PLACES. 



44? 



Gihon (a stream), Lower Pool of, Birket 
es-Sultan, 241 ; Upper Pool of, Birket 
el-Mamilla, 206 ; Isa. xxii. 9, vii. 3 ; 2 
Chron. xxxii. 30. 

G-ilboa (welling up), Mount, Jebel Jilbon, 
appearance of, 362 ; fountain at, vic- 
tory of G-ideon, defeat of Saul at, 364; 
2 Sam. i. 21 ; Jud. vii. 5-20. 

Gilead, Mount (heap of witness), Jebel 
Jil'ad, 34T, 364, Gen. xxxi. 21. 

Gilgal (rolling), camp and tabernacle at, 
294; history of, 295; Josh. iv. 19; 1 
Sam. xv. 33. 

Golgotha (place of a skull), 231 ; see Cal- 
vary. 

Gomorrah (submersion), 282, 283; Gen. 

xiii. 10, xix. 28. 
Goshen, land of, given to Jacob and his 

family, 168, 169 ; Gen. xlvii. 6. 
Halhul (praise), Hulhul. 261; Josh. xv. 

58. 

Hammath (warm springs), a hot bath, 
380; Josh. xix. 35. 

Hebron (society), Ilebrun or el-Khulil, 
362 ; Pool of David, Cave of Machpelah, 
263, 435, 444 ; tent life at, 265 ; history 
of, 26T; Gen. xxiii. 19, xiii. 18. 

Hermon (summit), Mount, Jebel esli- 
SheiJch, view of from Tabor, 366 ; from 
Sea of Galilee, 373 ; from hill of Nazar- 
eth, 405; Ps. lxxxix. 12. 

Hezekiah (strength of the Lord), Pool of, 
Birket el-Rummam, 225 ; 2 Kings xx. 
20. 

Hinnom (gratuitous), Yalley of, 241 ; rites 
of Moloch in, 242; Josh. xv. 8; Jer. 

xxxii. 35. 

Issacher (there is reward), aspect of, 359 ; 
character of, 360 ; Jud. v. 15 ; Gen. 
xlix. 14. 

Jabbok (outpouring), Zerka, river, 347; 
Gen. xxx. 22; Deut. ii. 37. 

Jacob's Well, Bir es-Samaria, 334; his- 
tory of, 334, 335 ; Jesus at, 337 ; Gen. 

xxxiii. 19, xxxvii. 15 ; John iv. 3-43. 
Jehoshaphat (God-judged), Valley of, 226, 

243 ; tombs in, 244 ; Joel iii. 2, 12. 

Jericho (fragrant land), Riha, site of, 
house of Zaccheus, 294 ; visits of Christ 
to, Quarantania, 296; "City of Palm 
Trees," 299; road to, "good Samari- 
tan," 301 ; Josh. ii. 1, 22 ; Mark x. 46 ; 
Deut. xxxiv. 3 ; Luke x. 30, xix. 1. 

Jerusalem (habitation of peace), el-Khuds 
(the Holy), first view of, 220 ; entering 
gates of, 222 ; Tower of David, 222, 314 ; 
city and walls, 225, 314 ; seen from Oli- 
vet, 228; House of Pilate, 229, 314; 
Temple area, 230; Holy Sepulchre, 
233, 234 ; visit to a Synagogue, 235 ; 
Jews' Wailing Place, 236 ; remains of a 
great arch, 239 ; Jews' quarter, lepers, 
Palace of Caiaphas, tomb of David, 
Ccenaculum, 240 ; American Cemetery, 
241; Golden Gate, 247; Hill of Evil 



Council, 253 ; Holy City past and prea- 
sent, 305 ; tombs of the kings, 306 ; old 
quarry under the hill Bezetha, 307 ; 
stones of the temple walls, tomb of the 
Virgin, 30S ; St. Stephen's gate, 312; 
last view from Scopus, 315 ; Ps. cxxii. 
2, 3 ; Isa. lxiv. 10 ; 1 Kings x. 5 ; Ps. 
Ixxxvii. 1-3 • xlviii. 12, 13 ; Lam. i. 1 ; 

1 Kings vi. 7 ; Ps. xlviii. 2, cxxxvii. 5, 
cii. 14. 

Jezreel (God will sow), Esdraelon, 3ferj 
Ibin 'Amir, plain of, 361 ; boundaries 
of, 362 ; scenes of battles, 363 ; view of 
from Tabor, 372 ; Jud. iv. 15, vii. 20 ; 

2 Chron. xxxv. 22-25. 
Jezreel, Ze?'in, site of the city, palace of 

Ahab, Naboth's vineyard, 363; death 
of Jezebel, 364; Dedawin camp, 365; 
1 Kings xxi. ; 2 Kings ix. 20-27, x. 7 ; 
Cant. i. 5. 

Joppa, Japho (beauty), Yafa, 207; situ- 
ation, houses, streets of, 208; house- 
top, house of Simon the tanner, oran- 
ges, 2.11 ; gate, history of, 212 ; Peter's 
vision, Dorcas, 213 ; 2 Chron. ii. 16 ; 
Acts x. 6-17, ix. 36-39. 
Jordan (descender), Sheriat el-Kebir, riv- 
er, 284 ; passage of the Israelites, 288 ; 
prophets of, 290; baptism of Christ, 
291 ; bathing of pilgrims, 292 ; Josh, 
iii. 16 ; 2 Kings ii. 1-14; Mat. iii. 4-17. 
Joseph's Tomb, 341, 347; Gen. 1. 25; 

Josh. xxiv. 32. 
Judah, Judea (celebrated), "wilderness 
of," 228, 296; "hill country" of, 260; 
Mat. iii. 1 ; Luke i. 39, 65. 
Kidron, Cedron (turbid), brook, bed of, 
226, 243; David passing over, 246; 
gorge of at Mar Saba, 275 ; valley of, 
308 ; 2 Sam. xv. 23 ; John xviii. 1. 
"King's Garden," 315; Neh. iii. 15. 
Kirjath-Arba (city of Arba), see Hebron, 
267. 

Kirjath-jearim (city of forests), Kuryet 
el-'' Enab, Ark at house of Abinadab, 
220 ; 1 Sam. vii. 1. 
Kishon (winding), Mukutta, river, a 
source of, 359, 360 ; course of, 361 ; fa- 
tal to Sisera's army, 369 ; Jud. v. 21. 
Lebanon (whiteness,) Libuan, mountains 
of, 360, 396, 405; Hos. xiv. 5; Jer. 
xviii. 14. 

Lebonah (frankincense), Zubban, 333; 

Jud. xxi. 19. 
Lod, Lydda (strife), Ludd, Peter healing 
Eneas, 215 ; 1 Chron. viii. 12 ; Acts ix. 
32-35. 

Luz (almond), 326, changed to Bethel; 

Gen. xxviii. 19. 
Machpelah (portion), el-Harem, Cave of, 
263, 264 ; Jews at, 268 ; Prince of Wales' 
visit to, 435, 444 ; Gen. xxiii. 17, xlix, 
29-31. 

Magdala (tower), 3fejdel, home of Mary 
Magdalene, 382 ; Mat. xv. 39, xxvii, 56. 



448 



IttDEX OE BIBLE PLACES. 



Mamre (fertile), plain of, 265, 267 ; Abra- 
ham's oak, 268 : Gen. xiii. 18, xviii. 1 
-8. 

Manasseh (a forgetter), territory of, 354, 
359; hills and passes of, 359; Deut. 
xxxiii. 17. 

Megiddo (a place of troops), Lejjun, site 
and battles of, 302; death ofAhasiah 
at, 362; Jud. v. 19 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 29, 
30. 

Megiddo, Valley of, see Jezreel, 361. 
Memphis (grave of the good), Noph, 

ruined images of, 193 ; Hos. ix. 6 ; 

Ezek. xxx. 13. 
Merom (elevation), Huleh, waters of, 

412 ; Josh. xi. 7. 
Michmash (hiding-place), Mukmas, 3S3 ; 

Isa. x. 28. 

Migdol (tower), site of, 204; Ex. xiv. 2. 
Misrepkoth-maim (glowings by the wa- 
ters), lias el-Mwsheirifeh. view from, 

312; Josh. xi. 8. 
Mitylene, 428 ; Acts xx. 14. 
Mizpeh (watchtower), Neby Samwil y 220, 

228; scenes of, 284; Jud. xx. 1-3; 1 

Sam. x. 17-24. 
Moab (of his father), mountains of, 223, 

284; Num. xxii. 41. 
Moreh (teacher), Mukhna, beautiful rich 

plain of, 335, 346 ; armed natives of, 

336 ; Gen. xii. 6, 7. 
Moriah (chosen of Jehovah), Mount, 

appearance of the Temple area, 230 ; 

events of, 304; Gen. xxii, 2; 2 Chron. 

iii. 1. 

Mount of Beatitudes, Kurun Hattin, ser- 
mon on the mount, 396 ; Safed seen 
from, Battle of Hattin, 397; Mat. iv. 
25, v. 1, 14, vi. 26-30. 

Mount of Olives, Jebel et- Tur, first view 
of, 220 ; position of, 225 ; described, 
227 ; view from summit of, 228 ; resort 
of Jesus, 229 ; David fleeing over, 248 ; 
place of ascension, 248, 303 ;" Jesus rid- 
ing over, 251 ; Luke xxi, 37: 2 Sam. 
xv. 30 ; Luke xxiv. 50, xLx. 37, 38, 41 ; 
Mat. xxi. 9. 

Nain (pleasantness), 2fein, visit to, old 
cemetery of, 367; Luke vii. 11-17. 

Naphtali (my wrestling), 406; Deut. 
xxxiii. 23. 

Nazareth (the branch), Jvasirah, fertile 
vale of, 406 ; Church of the Annuncia- 
tion, etc., 402; girls at fountain of the 
Virgin, 403: splendid view from the 
hill, 405 ; foot-prints of Jesus, 406 ; 
Luke i. 26, iv. 16, 29. 

Nebo (height), Mount, death of Moses, 
2S7 ; Deut. xxxiv. 1. 

No, No-Amon, Thebes, grandeur of, 185 ; 
Karnak, 189; Nah. iii. 8; Jer. xlvi. 
25 ; 1 Kings xiv. 25. 

Nob (hill), site of, 320 ; 1 Sam. xxii. 9-24, 
xx. 24. 

Noph, see Memphis, 193. 



Olivet, see Mount of Olives. 
On (ability), Heliopolis, obelisk of, 166, 

167 ; Gen. xli. 45. 
Ophrah (fawn), Tayibeli, " city called 
Ephraim," 323; 1 Sam. xiii. 17; John 
xi. 54. 

Padan-aram (plain of Syria), 346; Gen. 

xxxiii. 18. 
[Patmos, island of, seen, 427; Rev. i, 9. 
Palestine (land of strangers), coast of, 
207; central hills of, 376; blending 
with Syria, 412 ; Joel iii. 4. 
Peor (opening), heights of, 287; Num. 
xxiii. 28. 

Philistia, same as Palestine, 215 ; Ps. lx. 
8. 

Phoenicia (land of palms), 411, 412, 421 ; 

Acts xxi. 2, xi. 19. 
Pisgah (the height), Mount, Attarus, 
2S6, 2S7; Num. xxiii. 14; Deut. xxxiv. 
1. 

Ptolemais, Acre, 'Akka, see Accho, 411 ; 

Acts xxi. 7. 
Puteoli, Pozzuoli, Paul's visit to, 150 ; 

Acts xxviii, 13. 
Raman (elevation), er-Bam, of Benjamin, 

323 ; Josh, xviii. 25. 
Red Sea, first sight of, 204; passage of 
the Israelites, 205 ; Wells of Moses, 
Ayun Micsa, on the Arabian side, song 
of Moses, 206; Ex. xiv. 15, xv. 1-21. 
Rephaim (giants), plain of, or "Valley 
of the Giants," 255; Well of the Wise 
Men, 259; Convent of Elijah, 255; 
Josh. xv. 8 ; 2 Sam. v. 18-24. 
Rhegium, Reggio, Paul detained at, 152 ; 

Acts xxviii. 13. 
Rhodes, island of, site of the Colossus, 

houses and ruins, 4-'6 ; Acts. xxi. 1. 
Rimmon (pomegranate), Rwninon, re- 
treat of 600 Benjaminites, 328; Jud. 
xx. 45, xxi. 6, 13. 
Rome, Paul's hired house, Mamertine 
prison, 124; Acts xxviii. 30; 2 Tim. iv. 
7. 

Salt Sea, Dead Sea, first view of, from 
Olivet, 228; visit to, 278; dreary as- 
pect of, 2S1 ; bitter waters of, great de- 
pression of, 2S2; Cities of the Plain, 
bath in the sea, 283 ; Gen. xiv. 3. 
Samario (watch-post), Sebaste, Sebustieh, 
fine situation of, 351 ; Church of St. 
John, old columns and ruins, 352; 
history of, 353, 354; 1 Kings xvi. 24, 
xxii. 38 ; 2 Kings vi. 12-33 ; Acts viii. 
5-24. 

Sarepta, Zarephath (goldsmith's shop), 
Sarafend, Elijah and the widow, Christ 
and the Syrophenician woman, 418, 
419 ; 1 Kings xvii. 9 ; Mark xvii. 26. 
Sea of Galilee, Sea of Tiberias, see Gali- 
lee, Sea of. 
Shalem (peace), Salim, "a city of She- 

chem," 346; Gen. xxxiii. 18. 
Sharon (level ground), plain of, flowers 



INDEX OF BIBLE PLACES. 



449 



and fields of, 214 ; yoke and plow, 215 ; 
Caat. ii. 1 ; Acts ix. 35. 

Shechem (shoulder), Sichem, Sychar, 
Nablm, 335 ; valley of, 341 ; reading 
,the Law by Joshua, 342 ; present city, 
343; olive groves, oil, 344; Samaritans, 
348 ; lepers, road to Samaria, fields, 
shepherds, 349, 350; Josh. viii. 33; 
Jud. ix. 6; Isa. xvii. 6, xl. 11. 

Shiloh (peace), Seilun, identity of site of, 
history of, 331, 332; Jud. xxi. 19-24; 
Josh, xviii. 1 ; 1 Sam. i, iv. 17, 18 ; 1 
Kings, xiv. 1-1T; Jer. vii. 12. 

Shunen (resting place), Sulem, Philis- 
tines' camp at, Shunamite woman, Eli- 
sha's chamber, 365 ; field of the reap- 
ers, way to Carmel, 366 ; 2 Kings iv. 
8-37. 

Sidon (fishers), Saida, situation of, 420; 

fine gardens of, a Christ.iamfamily, 421; 

history of, 422 ; Josh xl 8. 
Siloam (sent), Siloah, > Ain Sihvan, Pool 

of, and Fountain of the Virgin, 243; 

Neh. iii. 15 ; Isa. viii. 6 ; John ix. 7. 
Siloam, Silwan, village of, 244; Luke 

xiii. 4. 

Smyrna, appearance of, Polycarp's mar- 
tyrdom, 427 ; " Church in," 428 ; Rev. 
i. 11. 

Sodom (burning), 282, 283; apples of, 
297 ; Gen. xiii. 10, 12 ; xix. 28. 

Solomon (pacific), Pools of, el-Burak, 
256-259 ; EcoL ii. 6. 

Syria (upland), 886, 412; Mat. iv. 24. 



Taanach (sandy soil) Ta'annuJc., site of, 
defeat of Jabin and Sisera at, 362 ; Jud. 
v. 19. 

Tabor (quarry), Mount, Jebel et-Tur, first 
sight of, 366; beauty of, 367; ascent 
of, 370 ; summit of, grand views from, 
370-375; scene of the Transfiguration, 
374; Ps. lxxxix. 12; Mat. xvii. 1-9. 

Tekoa (tent pitching), Tekua,2(j0; 2 Sam. 
xiv. 2 ; Amos i. 1. 

Tiberias, Tubariyeh, appearance, tombs, 
baths of, 3S0 ; John vi. 23. 

Tophet (timbrel), 242; Isa. xxx. 33; Jer. 
xxxii. 35. 

Tyre (rock), Sur, situation of, 414; pro- 
phecies of fulfilled, ruins of, 415; Paul 
at, 416; Ezek. xxvi. 12, 14, xxvii, 32; 
Isa. xxiii. 12 ; Josh. xix. 29 ; Acts 
xxi. 3. 

Tyre and Sidon, coast of, power of the 
old Phoenicians, "Ladder of Tyre," 
413; gazelles, 418; Jonah and th« 
great fish, 422; Beirut, 422; Mat. xv. 
21 ; Jonah ii. 10. 

Zebulon (habitation), position and rich- 
ness of, 406; Deut. xxxiii. 18, 19. 

Zion (sunny place) Mount, standing on, 
222; situation of, 223; "plowed as a 
field," 242; English Church on, 247; 
preaching on, 252, 81; Ps. xlviii. 2; 
Jer. xxvi. 18; Mic. iii. 12. 

Zoan (low region), "in Egypt,' 963: 
Num. xiii. 2t2. 



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